#fought for my life looking for a good enough front on video to gif had to crop so much omfg but AHHHH MY SHOWWW

[breakbleheavens]

CRUEL SUMMER The Eras Tour — Sydney, Australia (Night 2) | February 24, 2024

[3xm-draconic]

JoJo's Bizarre little Adventure. Chapter 20: Work In Progress.

GORE WARNING/BUG EATING AHEAD!

Chapter 20: Work In Progress.

“I’am really proud of you bossu, have fun on your first day!” Doppio cheered as he handed Diavolo his bag lunch, “thanks Doppio, I’ll be back home at around 7”, “I honestly thought you were all joking when you said you are getting jobs… I half to say this is a little out of character for you” Kira chuckled, DIO scoffed and dramatically rolled his eyes “oh please! I, DIO will bring in enough money tonight so we won't have to worry about rent for the next month!”

“So who is going to be watching funsize?” Diego turned to the others, “my fellow pillars will be watching her alongside DIO’s followers Tarence and Vanilla Ice”, Karz replied, “oh ok, I called HP and she’ll be dropping by incase they need anything”. Valentine looked at Diego “oh that reminds me, I called Blackmoore and he will be joining them too, I’am a little scared about last time” he sighed worriedly.

Pucci patted the former president’s shoulder reassuringly “don’t worry Funny, I am sure she will be safe”.

Pucci, Kira and Doppio drove their regular route to work while the others took the bus or in Diego’s case he just transformed into Scary Monsters and ran.

DIO and Karz found Moriho City College of Art to be a quite…interesting place.

It was a small building consisting of a renovated old fire station, the top floor was the college residency area, the main floor was the kitchen and cafeteria, the basement had been turned into a storage room and the garage was now the art studio. However…the decorations in this place were rather bizarre.

The walls of the building, both inside and out, looked like frescos of acid-fueled fever dreams. There was a ginormous lama constructed out of junkyard scrap standing guard by the front door and there was a section in the studio where Karz was 99% sure various bottles of paint had exploded.

“Oh hello! Welcome to M.C.C.O.A are you here for our free creative writing classes?” The overly cheerful desk lady chirped, her coffee stained teeth on full display, “um…no. I, DIO, am here to model for the artists!” DIO said with all the flare of a soap opera drama queen, “we heard from Santana that you are looking for live models to paint” Karz smirked. “Wonderful!, just sign in and enter one of the smaller rooms towards the back and we will get you started soon”.

Karz and DIO fought over the pen for a few seconds before writing down their names and wandering over into the small art room where several people sat at easels around a small platform, “hello everyone and welcome back to live nude model painting!” the instructor, another overly cheerful and probably over-caffeinated woman called.

 DIO’s mouth broke into a wide grin, “d..did I hear you right?, did you say nude models?”, the instructor turned to him “oh yes…are you..er uncomfortable with this?” she said worriedly, DIO’s grin just got wider “nope”.

Diego was having the time of his life!                                                                               

He felt like he was back in his glory days as a famous jockey…except he’s now a yellow and cyan utahraptor currently bobbing his way through downtown traffic off to deliver pizzas. Diego loved all the fame and good publicity he was getting, Moriho was a crazy bizarre town full of noise and…well..weird stuff. Seeing a raptor in a pizza delivery hat with a delivery bag saddled onto his back strangely fit in.

People were taking videos, pictures and tik-toks (is that what those are called?) of him running past or of him dropping off food and collecting tips. Diego was making his way through the local park to his next delivery, enjoying the fresh air “I’ve missed this, the admiration of everyone, the spotlight, the cheers…even if most people think I’am some sort of animatronic, it’s still fun” he thought to himself as he zipped past a familiar blond asshole in a wheelchair.

“GYRO! YOU SAW HIM NEARLY CRASH INTO ME!” Johnny protested, “I saw him…what do you want me to do about it?” Gyro chuckled, “WELL DON'T JUST STAND THERE, WHEEL ME AFTER HIM!” Johnny snarled, Gyro sighed and started to chase after Diego while pushing Johnny in front of him, “seriously?” Diego rolled his eyes, he couldn’t tell them to leave him alone due to him being unable to speak in his full raptor form but he could annoy them by going places Johnny couldn’t…like the stairs to the park pavilion.

The two men and raptor raced through the park, dogging pedestrians, trash cans and shrubs as the prehistoric pizza delivered dino lept from the bottom step all the way to the top. 

“GET BACK HERE YOU OVERSIZED ANCIENT CHICKEN-NUGGET!” Johnny cursed, Diego stood at the top of the steps shaking his tail at him “just try and catch me Jostar!” he smugly growled.

Diavolo was about to die…from boredom.

Practically no one was shopping at the sephora besides some teenagers and a small group middle aged woman and elderly ladies, “God this is so fucking boreing” he whined. For almost three hours there was nothing to do besides watch people and occasionally ring items up at the register, Diavolo swore he had more fun in the infinite death loop than doing this job.

“Oh hi Dia how are things going?” Valentine said as Diavolo sat next to him in the mall food court “not great Val, I would rather relive my 88th death than go back to work”, “oh, how’d you die in that one?” Valentine looked at the ex-don with concern and curiosity, “eaten alive by a giant version of myself…in which he died choking on me” Dia grumbled back as he took out the packed lunch doppio made him, “........oh….” Valentine replied with a mixed look of horror and humor.

“How is your end of the job hunt going?” Diavolo asked as he ate, “I got one almost immediately” Valentine grinned excitedly “it’s at the moriho zoo cleaning the food court”, “moriho has a zoo?” Karz interjected excitedly, “hey big bird nice to see you and banana man are back from the art college” Diavolo snarked. 

DIO huffed “they payed us quite well, 180$ in fact”, “I got kicked out” Karz snarled, “how’d that happen?”, Valentine and Diavolo asked in unison, “I transformed parts of my body into various plants and animals….and that scared them”, “ah yeah I can see how that would alarm people…weird they did that considering moriho’s reputation for crazy shit” Diavolo sighed, “I’am going back next week” DIO said with a cheeky grin “no doubt I’ve made an impression”. Valentine turned to Karz “hey maybe you’d like to work with me at the zoo?, I heard they have an opening at the gifshop”, “I would enjoy being around animals but I don’t like humans asking things from me, I’ll try over in the Barns and Nobles, I’ve always loved books”.

Meanwhile at the Apartment…

“DAMN IT TARRENCE!” Vanilla Ice howled as the younger darby hit his racer with a red shell, “sorry Ice” he chucked back, “this game is irksome” Wammu growled as he narrowly swerved his racer away from a banana trap, “I think it’s fun” Santana smiled as he finished first, “who knew thousands of year old vampire gods could play mario kart?” Tarrence laughed.

“Y-you think there is a way for Mirtillo to play?” Blackmoor stuttered as he took the pizza rolls from the oven, “it’s ok, I like watching them play more” Mirtillo chirped back from her seat on the coffee table, “alright Ice you lost this round, it’s my turn” HotPants chuckled as she took the controller from him, “I hate this stupid game” Vanilla Ice hissed.

Mirtillo snacked on a piece of caramel corn while watching the others play the game Tarrence brought over, “hey Mr Wammu, how did you get to be such a good fighter?” Mirtillo squeaked, “I trained under my masters, Lord Esidisi and Lord Karz” Wammu said proudly, “do you think if I trained with them I could be as good as you?” Mirtillo said, her big eyes shimmering with excitement, “perhaps little one, I can tell you have a strong spirit in you and hope it is nurtured well”.

After the villains had returned home and said goodbye to their fellow antagonists they sat down for dinner, it was pizza Diego had brought from his work.

“So how did everything go?” Pucci asked, “good…at least we have enough to cover rent for this month and hopefully we will have enough saved up for christmas” DIO reassured him.

Late into the night while they slept Mirtillo laid wide awake, her whole body hurt and ached but that’s not what was keeping her up. Mirtillo struggled to sit up and looked out the window above the nightstand her bed sat on, she’d had another nightmare about Sting…but this time Cioccolata was there, once again she was helpless to protect them and herself, they were all the same nightmare.

Mirtillo would be back in her village that day, the day everything went to shit. She would be in the mushroom patch with her mother collecting tiny shrooms to pickle, roast or grill and eat later when the warning horn would blow signaling an oncoming raid. Mirtillo would relive her mother and father’s deaths but after Sting would come in and slice off her wings the scene would change, she would then be falling, falling away from Valentine, Karz, DIO and the others. Deeper and Deeper she would plummet straight into the maw of Cioccolata, only his mouth was that of a sharks, it had row upon row of mangled misshapen teeth that spiraled down his throat. She could only watch as the villains and the light faded from view and she was crushed into suffocating darkness.

Mirtillo hated it, she hated how she would cry every night because of these nightmares.

Mirtillo whipped hot tears from her eyes as she looked out at the moon from the window, it was pushed up slightly open.

Mirtillo folded her tiny hands together like how she had seen Pucci do “I don’t know if you can hear me or if you will even listen to me but I know Pucci talks to you, he asks you to watch over us and to give him strength…I ask you to give me strength too. I ask that you make me bigger and stronger so that I can defend them and myself…please”.

When Mirtillo opened her eyes she saw the strangest sight coming towards her. A little glowing blue moth, it fluttered in through the window and rested at the edge of her bed, she could feel something coming from it.

A strong energy pulsed from within it drawing her to try and catch it, Mirtillo crouched down and although it hurt tremendously she held her tongue and watched the moth closely, it reminded her when her father took her cricket hunting. She watched it crept along and when the time was right she pounced, throwing her body into the moth, sending both it and her to the nightstand and pinning it under her. Mirtillo looked around to see if she had awakened anyone but found Valentine and Diego both sound asleep.

The moth bussed frantically, pinned beneath her knees, she stared at it, entranced by it’s soft cerulean glow. 

Mirtillo was reminded of a bedtime story her mother would tell her, about a folk hero called Hob the clever good fellow eating the mystical glowing heart of a golden fish that gave her incredible powers, she could run as fast as a gale of wind, out witt evil spirits and monsters, stop rivers or create them and tame or slay fierce beasts. 

She could even grow as tall as a human (Mirtillo learned that’s what tallfolk call themselves) and was strong enough to move mountains…

Mirtillo eyed the glowing moth…hungrily.

Mirtillo rested her hand on the moth’s abdomen, she could feel it’s little heart racing beneath it’s carapace, she unsheathed her claws and in one swift motion she plunged her hand into it’s body. The moth shrieked in pain but it was too low pitched for anyone but Mirtillo to hear.

It’s still-beating glowing heart dripped lapis colored blood down her hands and arms, Mirtillo opened her mouth wide and ate the heart raw. 

Once she had finished Mirtillo dragged the moth corps over to the ledge behind the nightstand and dropped it over the side hiding it, she then whipped the blood from her hands on the curtain and went back to bed.

[vdlest]

The Roommate

Characters:

TFATWS!Bucky Barnes x Neighbor!Reader

Summary:

Bucky Barnes as your neighbor is a good thing, especially when you need company. You two instantly became friends ever since he heard you listening to classic songs, and that you prefer "old but classic" stuff. To make the long story short, you fell for him, but when you confessed your feelings for him, he avoided you. And you thought that's how your beautiful start would end.

Warning:

Fluff

This is why you sometimes hate Sundays, you have nothing to do, and you're bored as fuck.

There's nothing to watch on Netflix, you have no new books to read, and no new episode of a podcast to listen to. So at the moment, you are just lying on your bed, staring blankly at your room's ceiling.

If only you're still living with your ex-roommate, Ana, the two of you must've talking gossips and having conversations about life nonstop. But she's not here since she moved to a different State last week already for a new job opportunity. She didn't want to leave you but she can't say no to a job opportunity, and you can't keep her from achieving her dream as well. So here you are, hoping that your next roommate will be just like Ana.

You were about to grab the remote control of your television inside your room when your phone vibrated, signaling that you have a text message.

Hey, I saw your post on the internet and that you're looking for a roommate. I'm interested and hoping we could meet today somewhere so we could discuss it.

You frowned a bit when you noticed that the sender of the message didn't mention any name nor introduce himself/herself.

Just when you're about to reply to this text, you received another message from the same number.

I'm Sam by the way.

Now that this sender finally introduced himself/herself, your confusion vanished, and decided to meet with this potential roommate of yours. Although you're still not quite sure whether this Sam is a guy or a girl, nonetheless, that's not important. What's important for you is that he or she is not a bad person and a heartbreaker.

You agreed to meet with your potential roommate in a nearby coffee shop in an hour. So you got up and went your way to your shower to prepare for this unexpected meeting.

The moment you entered the coffee shop you and your potential roommate agreed to meet on, you grab your phone and dialed the number of the person you're meeting, Sam.

Well, at least, you're not gonna die out of boredom. ───────────────────❥

"Hello?" you began when you heard that Sam already accepted your call, "This is Y/N. I'm already here in the coffee shop. Can you like raise your hand so I could see you?" you asked.

You roam your eyes around as you wait for Sam to answer in the other line.

"I'm right behind you," a familiar voice spoke on the other line.

Your heart skipped a beat when you heard that familiar voice.

You slowly turn around and see for yourself if your hunch is right about that familiar voice.

Hell, you are right.

It was him. It was Bucky.

It was the man you fell for.

Your eyes met his blue eyes when you face him. He was still holding his phone to his hear when you two face each other.

Seeing him now made you remember how you told him that you like him and that you're starting to fall for him already, and at the same time, you remembered how he walked out of your apartment and broke your heart into pieces. He left without any words. He just left and avoided you from then on.

Well, not until this day came.

"What the hell are you doing here?" you asked him straight on his face as you end your call with your supposed to be a potential roommate and put your phone inside your bag, "And what kind of sick joke this is?"

Bucky took a deep breath as he moves a step closer to you, "You have every right to be mad at me, and I won't question it. I've been a jerk, an asshole, I get it. But I was hoping you'd listen to me," he said.

You scoffed, "Listen to you? Listen to the guy who walked out on me on the night that I confessed my feelings? That's a bit absurd, don't you think?" you sarcastically smiled at him as you ask him. You shook your head, "This is going nowhere. So long, old friend."

You were about to walk past him when he gently grabbed your wrist to stop you from walking away from him.

"Please, Y/N. I'm begging you," he made you face him again, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean to avoid you as much as I didn't mean to love you."

Love you? He loves you?

He nodded, "Y/N, that night you told me that you like me and that you are actually falling for me, I was the happiest man alive. But that happiness faded away the moment I remembered who I am, and who I was. Instantly, I realized that you don't know me that well for you to love me that easily," he explained.

"Let's say you really do love me and that there's still I need to know about you," you pull back your hand away from him and crossed your arms in front of your chest, "Why tell me now? Why confess to me right now?"

"Because I fucking love you damn much already," he answered back immediately. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes for a second before he started talking again, "I tried my best to forget you, to forget what I feel for you but it's fucking too impossible. So I thought that if I'd let you know who I really am, who I was, I'll leave you the choice whether you still want to be with me or not."

You can't believe that this is happening right now.

A month ago, you realized that you don't have every time in the world to take your time to confess your feelings for Bucky, so you did confess to him. However, he broke your heart. And now here you are, you are very tempted to kiss him right now but you fought the urge to since you are curious about who he really is.

Bucky extended his hand towards you, "Come with me."

You took a glance at his hand before you look at him again, "I don't know, Bucky," you looked down and shook your head, "You already broke my heart and I don't think I have enough trust in you to come with you."

He chuckled, "You have a swiss knife on your bag, you have a pepper spray, if I do something vile to you, use it. I won't fight it," he assured.

Despite the heartbreak he gave you, you won't deny the fact that he's still charming to you. So yes, you ended up saying yes and coming with him.

➽──────────────────❥

"What the hell are we doing in the Smithsonian museum, Bucky?" you ask him as you both walk inside the museum.

It was a long drive from NYC to DC. You fell asleep the whole time you two were on the road. You wanted to ask him why does he have to take you to DC, but you were too tired to give a damn. So you let him take you to the place that will show you who he really is.

But you never thought you'd end up here in the Smithsonian Museum.

He didn't answer you, instead, he leads the two of you inside the exhibit made for the legacy of Captain America, Steve Rogers.

You chuckle and shook your head as you both walk inside the exhibit, "If we're planning to steal Cap's shield, I hate to break it to you but there's a new Captain America already," you joked.

"Yeah, I know," he casually answered, "I know him."

Your brows furrowed as you look at him, "The former Captain America or the new one?" you asked him, not sure if he's kidding or not.

"Both of them," he sighed and stopped walking. He faces you, "Before we proceed," he grabbed your hand and sighed again, "I want you to know that I love you, I really do. I also want you to know that I'm sorry for breaking your heart, for hurting you, but there's a lot of reason why I had to do it."

Your heart melted the moment he told you that he loves you. It wasn't the first time, but it feels like it. You wanted to tell him that it doesn't matter who he was and who he is because, for you, love is love. It doesn't give a damn about anyone's real identity. But you two have come a long way to back out now.

"Ready?" he asked you.

You nodded, "Yeah. I'm ready."

You and Bucky walked a few seconds more, but your body froze the moment you saw his picture inside Captain America's exhibit. He was beside Captain Steve Rogers.

"Battle tested, Captain America and his Howling Commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission, taking down HYDRA, the Nazi rogue science division."

"Bucky?" you murmured when your eyes landed on the picture of the guy standing next to you. You took a glance at Bucky and he was just looking at you and what your reaction will be. You look over Bucky's shoulder and saw a portrait of him plastered in a glass. You automatically walked there and check it for yourself.

"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country."

There's both so much and too much to see in this exhibit, not the Captain America part, but the part where you realize that your neighbor, the guy you fell for is actually not the man you thought he is.

Beside Bucky's glass mosaic, you saw a video presented near it. It was Bucky and Captain Rogers.

"You weren't really kidding when you said that you knew the former Captain America," you said when you saw Bucky on your peripheral, looking at you, watching you.

"He's my best friend, and even he's gone already, he still is," he said.

You and Bucky walked around the exhibit more. He also showed you around Captain America's exhibit and even showed you the uniform he wore during his Howling Commando days.

You have no idea what to think or feel at the moment, but one thing's for sure, your love for him didn't fade away even if you knew who he really is and who he was, not even after he told you that he was the infamous Winter Soldier. You still feel the same for him and you have no idea why. Maybe because love is love.

After you two went ou the Smithsonian Museum, you two walked around the National Mall.

"Why did you think that showing me these would change my mind about you?" you asked him, breaking the silence between the two of you.

"Because I--"

You cut him off, "Because you assassinated people in the past?" you stopped from walking and faced him, "Or because you are a hundred and six years old man?"

"Y/N, you know---"

You cut him off again, "No, I don't know, Bucky. So tell me," you chuckled and shook your head, "Does these things supposed to change my mind? My heart? What I fucking feel for you? Well, sorry it didn't! Because even after I found out that you are Cap's best friend, that you were one of his Howling Commandos, that you were the Winter Soldier, and that you are an Avenger, I still feel the same way for you, I still see you as the guy I fell in love with, I still see you as my neighbor who likes Marvin Gaye so much that he listens to it through night and day, I still see you as Bucky Barnes," you told him.

The whole time you two were walking around the museum up to this scenic place in DC, you have nothing in mind aside from the fact that you were actually fascinated about who he really is.

Finding out that he's an avenger, that he's making this world a better place and saving it from going chaotic made you love him even more. Even the fact that he's a hundred and six years old man doesn't bother you at all and doesn't change how you see him.

"And if those things you showed and told me why you broke my heart, then I must tell you," you wiped your tears away, "You just wasted your time because it didn't change the fact that I love you. You told me that you're giving me the choice whether I still want to be with you or not, and I made my choice now, Bucky," you walked closer to him and held his right cheek, "I want to be with you."

Bucky held your hand that was on his cheek, and your eyes landed on his gloved hand because now you know why he was always wearing a leather jacket and covering his hand with gloves.

So you grabbed his hand and slowly remove the glove he was wearing, when you look at him, he was surprised by what you did.

"This is the hand that I will always hold onto, the hand that I will always choose to hold," you smiled at him.

You finally felt his vibranium hand on your cheek as he wipes your tears away, "I'm sorry if I had to hurt you that way. I'm sorry for breaking your heart, but I'm already here and I will not leave you," he pulled you closer to him and kissed your forehead, "I got you now and there's nothing else I could ask for," he pulled you again and this time it was the tip of your nose he chose to kiss, "I love you," he said before he finally claims your lips with his.

His lips dance with yours, and with every sway, you felt his longing, his love, and care for you. As cliche as it sounds, it was truly like your love for each other. It was pure and true.

"Who's Sam by the way?" you asked him after you two kissed, "Wait, Sam Wilson as in the Falcon?"

He nodded, "Yeah, the new Captain America. I asked him if I could use his name because I know you won't answer my calls," he said and sighed, "Anyway, you might have to take down your post about looking for a roommate."

You frowned, "And why is that?" you asked him.

"Because I'll be moving in with you," he revealed, which made your eyes widened in surprise, "Only if you want to of course."

You chuckle as you nodded, "I would love that."

"Just to be sure, you're my girlfriend now, right?" he asked you.

"For a hundred and six years old man, you're the most slow-moving one," you joked and run your fingers through his hair as he wrapped his arms around you, "I'm yours and you're mine, Bucky Barnes."

-v.dl

[the-dead-skwad]

Rewind X Bucky Barnes X Reader

Hello again, apologies this is a little rushed I did it all in a day. Let e know if I should do a part 2 because I'm thinking about it.

Summary: A hangover from hell, was last night worth remembering?

Warnings: Swearing, alcohol, implied sex

His hand tightened in your hair, a soft moan escaped your lips. “Bucky.” You whispered.

You reached down to touch the bulge in his pants “Y/N” He moaned back. “Y/N!” His voices got louder “Y/n!”

You opened your eyes to Steve “Y/N?”

“God my head hurts, what you doing Steve?”

“You were talking in your sleep and I made you coffee.”

“Oh thanks,” You sat up and looked around “Why am I on the couch?”

“Just before I went to bed I saw Bucky bringing you back in over his shoulder. I don’t think you were sober enough to make it to your bed.”

You flopped back into the couch “Looks it, hang on did you say I was talking in my sleep?”

He coughed uncomfortably and took a sip of his coffee “Yep.”

“Oh shit, sorry. Thank you for waking me though.”

“Didn’t think you would want anyone else to hear you.”

You would have been more embarrassed had you not been so hungover. “So..” He quickly tried to change the subject “Remember much of last night?”

“Bits and pieces.. Dancing, shots.. a lot of shots. Did I go to a night club?”

“Yeah you said that Shuri had never been to one, so you made Bucky take you, Sam came too. I think they tried to watch over you.”

“Oh Shuri! Did she get home ok?”

He shrugged “So so, she did throw up on the way home.”

“I tell you what I wouldn’t enjoy a spaceship in the state I was in.”

“You know if you don’t remember much you could always you know… do the thing.” He gestured to your eye.

You laughed lightly “You know I only have a robotic eye, it’s not that weird.”

“When you get to my age it will be.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be that old, unless I become full cyborg, and besides I’m not sure if I’m ready to relive last night just yet.”

Chuckling he got up from his seat “I’m going to make a dirty fry up, you want one?”

“You life saver, I’ll jump in the shower while you do that. Need to wash last night off me.”

He shook his head at you as you left. “Get Sam and Bucky too I bet they’ll need one.” He called after you.

You walked slowly down the hallway. Different noises came from each room, video games was Peter, Sam was snoring, Nat was working out, god knows what noises were coming from Rockets room and then Bucky’s. You stopped for a second outside his door. Should you say thank you for helping you last night or did you make a massive fool out of yourself. Probably should find out what you did first.

Stripping off in your bathroom you got your dress up passed your face and then nothing. You stood there, eye fogging up, dress trapping your arms in the sky. You pulled pushed and wiggled. Standing on a slippery tile your legs went from under you. As you went to the floor your head hit the sink. “Ah fuck!” You shouted. You lay there with your dress still stuck over your head contemplating your options when you heard a voice from your bedroom.

“Hello?” You called out.

“Y/N?”

“Bucky! I’ve fallen.” You called out to him.

Your door swung open and you felt his hands pull the dress off you. “What the hell are you doing?”

“My dress wouldn’t.. the water .. floor tiles.” You made a weird gesture and noise simulating you falling.

“Oh shit.”

“What?” You were suddenly aware you were just in your undies.

“Your heads bleeding.” He grabbed a towel and put it against the wound on the side of your head.

“Thank you,” You put your hand over his that was holding the towel “And thank you for last night.”

“Don’t be silly, the state you were in I was not letting you run wild through the city.”

You laughed “Smart choice. How bad was I?”

“You don’t remember anything?”

“Bits and pieces, Caps making me a fry up. I told him I was going to jump in the shower then get it.”

“You sure you’re ok? I can get someone to look at your head.”

“I’ll be fine.” You started to get up.

He stopped you from wobbling “You sure you’re good?”

“No idea till I watch the night again.”

The colour drained out of his face “You sure you want to see that? I can give you the highlights.”

“Maybe that’s a better idea.” You took the bloody towel from him “Thank you again.”

“Don’t mention it.” You smiled as he left you in the steamy bathroom.

Finally stepping in the shower you let the water cascade over you. You could almost feel the alcohol washing off your skin. Opening your eyes you almost wobbled again. The alcohol and the head wound were really making you dizzy. After washing out all the shampoo you jumped out.

You wrapped the towel around you and stepped carefully back into your room. You threw on some sweatpants, vest and a soft cosy cardigan. You searched the desk by your bed until you finally found the paracetamol. Throwing some back you flopped onto your bed.

Images flashed in your mind. The dream you had had felt so real. You saw yourself dancing in the club but in your mind you could feel a hand. It started soft and then slowly worked his way over your hip. Maybe that’s why Bucky didn’t want you to watch it. Maybe he got jealous and fought the guy.

You constantly glanced over to your desk. Steve would have saved your food by now and if not it was burning. You had made this mistake before, watching after a night out, seeing how embarrassing you were. You even got into a fight with a man dressed as a Raccoon. Something about it being offensive. Which Rocket found highly amusing. This all felt different, like you were forgetting something important.

After a few moments of contemplating you dragged yourself off the bed. Sitting at your table you called out “Hey Friday.”

“Morning Miss Y/L/N”

“How many times have I told you to call my Y/N..”

“How can I help Y/N?”

“I’m about to plug in my eye, can you show me the footage of last night.” You took your eye between two fingers and pulled it out, then put on the patch from your desk draw. You plugged it into the system.

“Where would you like to start?”

“Ermm,” You moved your patch around till it stuck in the right place. “Let’s start at around 1am I’m sure that was around the time I left for the city.”

“Oh god,” You laughed at what you saw.

“Shhhh. They have no idea.”

You were pouring shots in the back of the car. Shuri was up front hanging her head out the window while you and Sam were doing ‘secret’ shots. It was very obvious that Bucky could see what you two were doing. Looks like you had gotten Sam drunk too.

“Forward 2 hours please.”

Now at the bar, probably not the best idea. Music booming through your speakers was making your head feel worse. “Friday can your turn it down please.”

“Of course, your vitals are looking low do you need me to ask someone to make you food?”

“No I’m…” You stopped as you saw what you were looking for. You were dancing your hips swung back and forth to the music. Sam and Shuri were having a blast by you. But you were looking across the room, Bucky sat there looking at you. Swirling a glass of whiskey. You turned and danced even more. That’s when the hands found your body, you saw the shine of the metal. You turned in his arms and danced with him, your body entwined with each other and the music.

You thread your hands through his hair and brought your face closer to his. Before anything could happen you pulled away. Taking his hands in yours you walked together to a back VIP room. The pair of you leapt at each other pulling and grasping at your clothes like animals.

“Pause!” You called out. Putting your head in your hands you took a deep breath in. It wasn’t a dream. You turned your head towards your door. “Bucky?”

Leaning on the door frame he smiled at you “Hey.”

[tomtenadia]

A Little Braver - Chapter 11

Hello everyone. That’s me back from my holidays and I have ch 11 ready for you.

The first part is our two lovebirds still on holiday in Doranelle and they get to be cute and yes, this part as fluff. Enjoy it while it lasts.

For the second part and the ending, just blame the angst gremlin. I decline every responsibility.

It was Sunday and also Aelin’s last day of holiday in Doranelle. She and Rowan had spent their Saturday in the Cambrian Mountains and did a lot of hiking, had a picnic near a waterfall and swam naked in the pool in front of it and also engaged in some other more interesting activities. The day had been perfect and they had managed to survive two full days without fighting and they both were impressed by it.

Now they were in his car and Rowan was driving her to the coast. He had explained that it was the last part left to explore and that one of his colleagues had suggested a lovely place. He had made lunch for both again and they did manage to set off a bit earlier.

Aelin was comfortable in her seat, her feet on the dashboard and he stared at her while her head was turned to look outside. 

After their talk he had decided to stop feeling guilty. Aelin had been right and they both deserved a second chance at happiness. He had finally decided to accept what he felt for her and maybe that was why they had not fought for two whole days. They had been both pushing the other away, too scared of caring once again. He still was, if he was truthful to himself. Her job scared the heck out of him. But he was done pushing her away.

“Are you comfortable over there?”

She turned and smiled at him, her blue eyes lit with mirth “are you going all health and safety on me, captain?”

“You are the firefighter, you should know the dangers of such a position in case I hit hard on the brakes.” He explained, stopping a mocking smile from appearing on his lips.

“Well, just don’t slam on those breaks, captain. Can you do that and deliver us safely to the beach?”

His hand gently brushed her naked knee. She was wearing a pair of blue shorts and a colourful top.

“Will the water be warm enough for me to swim in it?”

Rowan nodded. “According to my colleague this is a lovely beach and not too busy either. Something only the locals know about.”

Aelin pulled her sunglasses down on her eyes “wake me up when we are there.”

Fifteen minutes later Rowan poked her arm “Ohi, sleeping beauty. Get up.”

Aelin lifted her sunglasses on her head and glared at him “why can’t you behave like a well mannered man? I don’t know, wake me up with a kiss?”

He got of the car and opened the rear door and unloaded the two backpacks “get your arse out of my car. We are at the beach.”

“So, so rude.” She complained while leaving the car and grabbing her stuff from him. They had warmed up to each other but she still adored their bickering.

He started walking and she ran after him, grabbing his hand in hers.

They arrived at the beach and she rejoiced at the discovery they had the entire place to themselves.

Rowan selected a space not too far from the water and deposited their stuff on the ground, placing also the two beach towels for them.

In an instant Aelin had removed her clothes and was standing in front of him in her bikini.

He stared at her “is that your… bathing suit?”

She posed for him “lovely isn’t it?”

It covered very little, thought Rowan. Two red triangles covered her breasts all tied together by some very flimsy strings and the same for the bottom part.

He grabbed her hand and pushed her down on the towel “sit,” he rummaged in his back pack and took out sunscreen “you have a very fair skin and you will burn.”

Aelin sat down and he took a place behind her. He dropped some cream on her back and started spreading it on her back “you do the front,” he said by passing her the bottle.

“I thought you’d love the honour.”

Rowan sighed “if I do that it might lead to something else which is not appropriate on a beach in the middle of the day.”

Once his hands stopped she reached for the knot behind her neck and untied it, the top of her bikini falling off. She untied the one on her back as well and turned to him “up to the challenge, captain?” She took the bottle and put a dollop of cream on her fingers and started spreading it on her naked breasts and enjoyed staring at his expression morphing into pure lust.

“You’ll be the death of me.” He put more cream on his hands and began massaging her breasts making sure they had a nice cover “given how flimsy your bikini is, you need protection everywhere.”

“So considerate of you…” she teased him arching her back into his touch. She never had enough of him. She had a few men before Sam and no one had ever made her feel like that. Not even Sam.

Once he was done he bent over and recovered the piece of garment “come on, cover up.”

She took the piece of her bikini from him “scared by a pair of magnificent boobs?”

“No, we are in a public place.”

She slowly put the top back on and he offered to tie it for her “let them stare.”

Rowan’s mouth was at her ear again, biting gently her lobe “I don’t share.” and the tone in which he said it made her toes curl.

She then pulled away and ran to the water, jumping in it with happiness. Rowan stood and joined her slowly.

“Come one, it’s stunning.” She shouted emerging from the water.

Rowan smiled then ran and once he reached her he tackled her and carried Aelin like a sack of potatoes and threw her sin the water as soon as they reached a deeper spot. 

Aelin re emerged. She tried to protest but she found his body against hers, his lips kissing her hard. She stared at his tanned and muscular body and ran a hand along his chest “I don’t share either, captain. I am very jealous of what is mine.”

Those words were his undoing. He grabbed her legs and pulled them around him and Aelin climbed on him and a moment later they had completely forgotten they were in the middle of the sea.

Luckily for them they had remained the only two people on the beach as their adventure in the water was followed a bit later by one on the sand.

Fully clothed again they now lay side by side. Aelin had her eyes closed, trying to suntan a bit and Rowan on his belly reading a book.

Aelin turned on her side and lifted the cover of his book and noticed it looked like about some theory of flight or tactics “we are on holiday and you are working?”

He turned to her.

“Your book,” she pointed “it’s about flight tactics. Can’t you enjoy a day without thinking about flying?”

“I’d like you to know that I am reading for pleasure. The fact that the book is giving me great ideas is another matter.”

Aelin scooted closer to him and placed her head under his arm and stared at the book with curiosity. She noticed strange drawings “are those flight manoeuvres?”

He nodded and with his arm he pulled her closer “this,” he pointed at the diagram “is called barrel roll attack. It’s quite cool.” Then he pointed at another one “this is the Immelmann and this one…” he turned the page “these are a low and high yo-yo.”

“They have funny names.” She looked at the book “this one seems cool,”

“This is a high G barrel roll.” He explained “you do this when the attacker is at your tail and you can feel his guns on you. It’s far more brutal than a regular barrel roll. Not recommended if you have a sensitive stomach.” He took out his phone and showed her something “Fenrys put a camera on his fighter during training and this is a video taken during training and a mock dogfight.”

Aelin watched the video with amazement “Play it again, it was so fast.” He did it and she stared at the jet completing the manoeuvre “was that you?”

Rowan nodded and showed her a few more videos of their training. She was fascinated.

“I still want to see you fly. For real.”

He put the phone down and looked at her “Lorcan says it’s fine. We can do that when I come back.”

Aelin nodded and he kissed her. He closed the book and pulled her closer and then lay down with his arm over her in a very protective gesture. She turned and snuggled all the way against his torso and let his body protect her from the sun. 

It was a few hours later when Rowan woke up and realised they had fallen asleep on the beach. Aelin was tucked in his embrace and was sleeping soundly and he was glad to notice that her body was in the shadow of his body. It would have been a very painful awakening. 

“Hey, sleepyhead.”

She opened her eyes and looked up at him and he loved the freckles that had appeared on her face.

“We fell asleep.”

“You really do make a good pillow.” She told him while sitting back up.

“I will make sure to update my resume, I am sure it’s a very sought after skill.” He stood and offered his hand to her “come on, let’s go for a stroll.”

She wore her top again “we don’t want to cause a riot, don’t we?”

Rowan smiled and he pulled her up after he took her hand.

They walked for a while. The beach had turned out to be much longer than they thought. Aelin had kept her shoes in one hand and walked the whole distance with her feet in the water. She hadn’t realised how much she needed a holiday. In the past year her life had been complete dedication to her job. It had helped to keep the demons at bay. But now there was Rowan and hopefully she had found someone with whom to walk the path back toward light.

“Fancy going out for dinner tonight?”

“I am craving seafood.” She said swinging their linked hands “we can stay here. Have dinner and then go back to your flat.”

“Sounds like a great plan.”

It was much later that night when they finally rolled back into Rowan’s flat.

“I am so tired and my face is on fire.”

Rowan cupped he face with his hands “you have freckles and you are stunning.”

Aelin gave him a smile and then ducked “I call dibs on the shower.”

Rowan laughed and let her win.

The shower took her a bit longer than planned. Her thoughts wandered to the fact that she was meant to fly home the next day and sadness struck when she realised she did not want to leave Rowan. They had the four best days so far and she hated that she had to wait two more weeks for him to be back and finally try and work on the foundation of their relationship that they had built during that holiday.

Once back in Rowan’s room she started packing. He had given her her own room but she never used it. They had ended up sharing the room and the bed.

She was busy groaning at packing when she felt his arms fold around her waist from behind. His smell of pine and snow was much stronger and she leaned against his chest, closing her eyes “I really don’t want to go.”

“I’ll be back in two weeks,” he told her against her ear.

“I know,” and she hated how petulant she sounded. She turned in his arms and buried her face in his naked chest. Rowan held her tight, her head tucked under his chin.

“I love when you hold me like this. It makes me feel less alone.”

Rowan squeezed her and they remained like that for a time that it felt endless. He didn’t want her to go either and he had a feeling they were going to be two very long weeks. He was getting used having her in his bed and loved waking up in the morning with her scent around him. He eventually pulled away and sat down on the bed and put on his briefs “come on,” he patted the bed “time to sleep.” She climbed in bed with him and took her usual position nested against him and his arms protectively around her.

Aelin was once again in his car but alas, this time it was not for an adventure. He was driving her back to the airport. Her holiday was officially over and she had been grumpy all morning. 

His hand was resting on her knee giving her comfort.

“Are you going back to work tomorrow?”

Aelin shook her head “I need to start tonight. We are on night shift.”

“That sucks.”

In the distance she noticed the shape of Doranelle airport appear and her heart sank.

Rowan parked in the short stay car park and he grabbed her hand and together they walked into the airport. Check-in was a breeze and he eventually walked her just before the security area “this is as far as I can go.” He told her sadly.

Aelin crashed against him and fought it very hard not to cry.

“Hey…” he said very gently caressing her head “I will be back soon.”

She took a deep breath and pulled back.

“Call me when you land. I don’t trust those civilian pilots.” His thumb brushed her lips gently then he leaned over and kissed her.

“These are going to be two very long weeks.” He whispered against her mouth.

“I know.” Then she kissed him one more time and pulled away with all the courage she had. One of them had to let go eventually.

He kissed her one last time and let her hand go and stared at her walk away until she disappeared behind security.

***

It was a few hours later when Aelin landed back in Orynth. She had texted Aedion before boarding and gave him an ETA. While she waited for her bag to arrive on the carousel she phoned Rowan and he answered at the first ring.

“I am pleased to say that my pilot did manage to land us safely back in Terrasen.”

She heard Rowan scoff “It’s not that difficult, he just needs to press a few buttons and use the stick for landing and take off.”

She loved to tease him “he was hot though…”

“Sure, if you fancy men getting paid to fly a big metal trap in a straight line…”

She chuckled “we turned a few times as well.”

“You banked,” he corrected her.

“Uh?”

“An aircraft banks, does not turn. Then we roll, pitch and yaw.”

She huffed “fine, we banked. Happy?”

Her bag arrived and she placed it on her shoulder.

“Was the flight okay?”

She started walking to the exit “yeah, no turbulence this time.” She reached the main doors and walked through “what are you doing?”

“Getting ready to head to class.”

“Are you going to crush those little bastards?”

Rowan laughed “oh yes, I have a very hard exercise in mind.”

She spotted Aedion in the distance and weaved at him “Aedion is here. I gotta go.”

“Be safe, okay?”

“You too, captain. I am getting quite fond of having you around.”

“Bye menace.”

Aedion found her within minutes and hugged her as if he hadn’t seen her in a lifetime.

“Welcome back.” He squeezed her “give me your bags.” He grabbed her stuff and they walked back to his car “how was you holiday?”

“I had a good time.”

“You seem happier.”

“How is the station? Is it still standing?” She changed the subject. She had no intention of talking about her time with Rowan with her cousin.

“It is still standing. We had a few interesting calls, but nothing we could not handle. The team we got from west is blending really well in our team.”

“Good.”

They arrived at the station not long after and once she got off the car Lysandra and Elide ran to her and hugged her fiercely “I was away only for four days.”

“We missed you.” Then Lysandra grabbed her arm and pulled her to the lockers room “get changed and talk.”

Aelin opened her locker and dropped her duffel bag inside it and took out her uniform “So nosey,”

“You have just spent four days with hot captain. Come on girl, we want details,” and both women sat on the bench.

“We had a good time.”

“And?”

“And it was relaxing.”

“And?”

Aelin removed her clothes and remained in her underwear “and that’s it.”

“You are telling me, that you just spent four days living in his flat and you two did nothing?”

“I am not telling you anything.” She wore her trousers, then grabbed her top and finally her blue shirt “things happened but they are between us.”

“Aelin, I have a bet to win.”

“I knew it.” Shouted Aelin, fixing her hair again in a tight braid.

“Well, they had to concentrate on a new target since Aedion and I are off the betting pool.”

Aelin stopped and turned to Lysandra and the woman showed her her fourth finger now carrying a gorgeous ring.

“Holy fuck, he did it. He finally proposed.”

“It was beautiful,” said Elide dreamingly.

“He did it here at the station?”

Lysandra nodded “he waited for me and Elide to come back from a call. He placed loads of candles in a heart shape in front of the rigs and as we drove back in he stopped in front of the ambulance on one knee. And then he proposed.”

Aelin hugged her best friend “this is amazing. So friggin awesome.”

“So nothing happened with hot guy?”

Aelin looked at the clock. She still had twenty minutes before the start of the shift “Fine. Just as an engagement present.” And she took a seat beside the two women “Rowan and I, we… had a great time.” And at her expression, Lysandra squealed and Elide smiled as well.

“Is he good?”

Aelin laughed “he is… very skilled.”

“Holy shit. How many times? Where? Any naughty places?”

Aelin knew this was going to happen. She and Lys had always shared such things “the first time we did it three time. The night I arrived in Doranelle. And we did it in the sea and on an empty beach.”

“Ok, I am really jealous right now.” Asked Lys grabbing her friend’s hands “what does this mean?”

Aelin shrugged “he is away for two more weeks. Once he is back we… will discuss things.”

“Ok, from a scale from 1 to god, how good is he?”

Aelin laughed “definitely god.”

“And is he…?” Lys’ eyebrows lifted in a suggestive manner.

“I am not telling you that.”

“What does he do to be a god?” Asked Elide shyly.

“Make you scream so much the neighbours thinks he is torturing you.” Explained Lysandra deadpanned.

Aelin laughed and grabbed Elide’s hand “don’t worry about all of this.” She said tenderly “how is it going with Lorcan?”

Elide blushed savagely “really well. I… I told him about… me.”

“And?” Asked Aelin curious. She hoped the man had been nice to her. She knew where his office was.

“He has been nice about it. He promised he’ll wait for me and that when I feel ready he will show me everything.”

Aelin chuckled “Good.” Then looked at the clock “girls, let’s go.”

The team was having a relaxing night in front of the tv. Aelin was on the comfy chair  her legs draped over the arm, reading a book. Rowan’s manual on flight techniques that he had lent her. After he had shown what he was reading at the beach she had started getting curious and wanted to be able to impress him upon his return. Her phone was in her lap and they had been texting all evening. She was hoping in an easy shift when the dispatch alarm went off. Everyone jumped and she and Aedion took a rig each after the announcement called for two engines and the ambulance.

Aelin ran to her turnout gear and got dressed super quickly and jumped in the engine.

“Did I hear correctly?” She asked Nox who was already at the wheel ready to go “are we going to the airport?”

Nox nodded.

“Those bloody civilian pilots.” She joked but no one got her and she wished Rowan was there, he would have loved it.

They arrived at the airport and Nox stopped the truck. Aelin got off and met the man in the car with red flashing lights “Follow me. We have a collision between two aircrafts. The big one then crashed into the hangar and we have people trapped in there as well.”

Aelin ran back and they followed the car and when they reached the accident site they were not ready for the carnage in front of them. The plane had slammed into the hangar and a raging fire had enveloped a side of the aircraft. Aelin searched for the second plane but could not see it. She jumped off the truck and went back to the man to get an idea of what they were dealing with.

“I thought you said there were two aircrafts.”

The man silently pointed at the remains of a smaller aircraft under the bigger one. There was nothing left and the smaller plane had been reduced to smithereens.

She went back to her team and started shouting orders “Manon, Asterin, try and crack the aircraft door open and see if we can save someone. Wesley, Kyllian you go with Ress and cover Asterin and Manon with water.” She ordered them “Ansel, you are on the aerial and get Manon and Asterin where they need to go.” Then she turned to the rest of her squad “Aedion, take Luca and Brullo and stop the aircraft fire. Remember that the fuel is in the wings.”

“How do you know that?” Asked Nox surprised.

“That is not important now.” She went to their engine and grabbed mask and oxygen tank and tools “Ren, Nox, you two are with me. We are going inside the hangar.” They all geared up very quickly and in the distance she noticed Dorian’s approaching. “Aedion, we might need to call west if it gets worse.”

Aelin and the two guys ran to try and find and entrance to the hangar but the frame of the plane was stuck inside it, blocking any access. “Be careful, there is jet fuel everywhere.” They walked under the wing on fire but they could not see any point of access inside the hangar.

“Can you hear it?” Asked Nox.

“Fuck, there are people still in the hangar.” The nose of the plane had collapsed as the landing gear had failed. Then she noticed it. A small passage near the nose. She removed her oxygen tank from her shoulders, pushed it through the opening and walked to the small hole.

“What are you doing?” Shouted Ren.

“Going in. I am the smallest of the three.” She kneeled and started to wriggle her body through the small opening “open up a bigger passage, we need to find a way to evacuate the civilians.”

Once on the other side, the heat was unbearable and fire and smoke made visibility impossible. 

“Fire department, call out.” She shouted to draw attention. A massive explosion rocked the hangar and she threw herself on the ground and rolled quickly on the side managing to avoid a piece of the roof of the hangar collapsing on her.

“Fire department, call out,” she shouted again. Slowly she began walking deeper in the raging inferno in the hope someone was still alive. Everything was collapsing around her. Then she heard it. A voice. 

“Fire department, call out.”

She heard the call again and tried to walk to the voice. Then she saw it. A person was on the floor and beside it there was another one. She ran to them.

“Are you okay?” The woman was in shock but alive.

She had a look at the man lying on the ground and searched for a pulse and found none.

“You need to come with me.”

The woman started shaking and Aelin pulled her up on her feet. She had no time. 

“Go through there, there are firefighters outside. They will help you. You are safe.”

The woman nodded and kneeled and slowly slithered through the small aperture.

“Ren, there is a woman coming out.” She shouted.

“We can’t open a passage. If we do this side will collapse completely.” Shouted Nox in a panicked voice.

“Go through the other side, go through the nose, but I need a fucking bigger passage.” and she left again not waiting for a reply.

Manon had cracked open the door of the aircraft and she and Asterin had made their way inside. The cabin was full of smoke and fire had started to spread from a gash that had opened where the wing was attached to the fuselage. Manon smelled fuel and knew they had to be quick.

“We are with the fire department. If you can walk we need you to follow us and evacuate the aircraft immediately.”

Asterin walked deeper down the aisle “cover mouth and nose with something.” She noticed a few injured people “Manon, you take those who can walk.”

Manon nodded and directed people out of the main door and once at the aerial she shouted for Luca.

The young man climbed the aerial very swiftly “I am passing you some passengers, make sure they get down safely.”

Luca started ferrying people back and forth leading them to safety to two waiting Lys and Elide.

Asterin heard a few ominous sounds and pushed the people down the aisle, Manon joined her and together with the last two passengers they ran into the cockpit and slammed the door shut when an explosion rocked the plane.

Luca flattened on the aerial and covered the person he was accompanying, with his body.

On the ground Aedion and his two men took sheltered from the explosion and Dorian did the same. 

“Evacuate the civilians quickly.” He shouted over the noise.

Lysandra and Elide took all the survivors to the ambulance that had been parked at a safer distance.

“Aedion, I want that fire under control.” Dorian barked again “we are getting close to the collapse point.” then he realised he was missing one person “where’s Aelin?”

“Inside,” and Nox pointing at the hangar.

“Alone?” Shouted Dorian in rage “you let her go inside alone? That is not protocol.”

“She was the only one who could fit through the small gap.” Ren bit back, not caring if he was being disrespectful to his CO. “Nox and I are trying to open a second gap but the fuselage is the only thing holding up the hangar right now.”

Dorian slammed his hat on the ground and tried to call Aelin over the radio but no response came over.

Aelin knew she was lost. She had found two more people beyond saving, but she did not give up. The heat was becoming worse by the minute. She continued walking until she spotted two figures hiding in a corner. They were alive “Fire department,” she shouted. The two people waved at her. One was badly injured “can you walk?”

“I can manage.”

“Lean on me,” offered Aelin to the man. Slowly they crawled back to the nose of the aircraft and as she did with the first person she pointed the exit to them.

She looked at the small screen on her wrist and noticed that her oxygen was running low.

“Shit.” She probably still had fifteen minutes. She could try and save someone else.

Dorian saw the two people come out of the passage and for a moment he hoped a third one would appear as well but Aelin never did. “Where are you?” He whispered to her.

Aedion got the aircraft fire under control, but not yet the hangar and Nox and Ren could finally work on opening a bigger passage for them to go in. They knew it was a race against time. Chances were Aelin’s oxygen was running low and they had to get in and find her quickly. 

Aelin’s breathing apparatus beeped signalling her that her juice was up. She had moved even deeper in the hangar and she had lost sight of the nose of the plane, her only landmark to her way out. All around her there was nothing but fire. She threw the air tank on the ground, now exhausted and useless. She removed the mask and the stench of jet fuel hit her. The smoke grew thicker and she began coughing, her lungs burning at every breath. She placed the mask again against her face and walked a bit more searching for more survivors.

Aedion saw it happen in slow motion. He was helping Nox and Ren opening a new passage to the interior of the hangar when the structure folded on itself. The material, now compromised by the crash and the heat had given up like a house of cards in the wind.

“No… no… no…” said Nox frantically, “Aelin is inside. Fuck it, Aelin is still inside.” He shouted.

Aedion turned to him with a dangerous glare in his eyes.

He ran to the engine and went to grab his oxygen tank but Dorian stopped him “you are not going inside.”

Aedion freed himself from the man’s grip “I am going in and I don’t give a fuck. I am not letting her die in there.”

“You can’t go in there.”

“If you love her as much as you claim you will let me go in and save her.” Aedion wore his gear in defiance.

Dorian tried one more time to stop him but Aedion did not listen and slowly crawled through the passage they had managed to open. 

Aelin stopped and coughed a bit more. Her lungs and her throat were on fire. She could feel the fumes from the jet fuel starting to have an effect on her. She moved a few steps then she heard it. 

A moment later the whole structure collapsed on her. Her mask rolled away from her hand, and Aelin, trapped under the debris, sank into unconsciousness as the fire now surrounded her completely.

TAGS

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[naughtyneganjdm]

A Compromise - Chapter 1

Summary: After getting expelled from college for a reason Y/N finds unfair, she is in eager need of money. During a fight with her father, her new neighbor across the street, Negan, hears her problem and offers to pay her to spend time with him. It's an offer that she can't deny, leading to a unique relationship between the two.

Characters: Negan, the reader (OC)

Warnings: Not much at the start, swearing pretty much. 

Notes: This is going to be a shorter series than the other ones I've done. I was requested to write a story where Negan was the 'sugar daddy' to a character and this is what I've come up with. I hope this will be okay with what was requested of me. As always, Y/N means your name or if you just want to put in a random name, do that instead. Thanks for reading.

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27834154/chapters/68143372

“You know, I find this a bit counterproductive,” Y/N followed her father out of their home toward the front yard. She was desperate to have a serious conversation with her father who was eager to avoid the conflict. “You would think after what happened to me, you would be eager to support me through everything.”

“Y/N, you were expelled from university,” her father reminded her as he headed for the back of his car to pull something out of the trunk. “I’m not just going to hand over money to you so you can enjoy yourself while you are back at home.”

“I’m not here because I wanted to be dad,” Y/N bickered with her father feeling frustrated with his reaction toward her being expelled from college. “You know I’m attempting to make an appeal with the board for what happened.”

“What you did was wrong,” her father retorted with a snort, pushing through some of the items that were in the trunk of his car. “I’m not changing my mind about this. You need to find yourself a job if you want money. You’re not getting any handouts after what you did.”

“Dad, you have to acknowledge that this is a situation where I think you should be a little bit more understanding. I went to my professor to ask for help because I was having trouble understanding why I was getting the grades I was getting. I knew I was doing everything right,” Y/N reminded her father of the story that she had told him about what started the events to her being expelled from college. “For someone who has a daughter, I would think you would be furious to know that he told me he would give me a better grade if I did sexual favors for him.”

“You kicked him in the balls sweetheart,” her father blurt out with an irritated sound, lifting up enough to meet his daughter’s desperate expression.

The sound of a muted laugh filled the air and it caught the attention of Y/N who looked across the street to see the new neighbor washing his car. For a moment her eyes lingered when her eyes connected with the hazel eyes of the stranger she had yet to meet. It was clear he had managed to hear her discussion with her father and found it amusing. While she wanted to be angry that he was being nosey in listening in on their discussion, she found herself staring. His dark hair was slicked back from being wet. When he noticed her staring at him, he winked and reached up to brush his fingers over the side of his stubble covered cheek before going back to washing his car.

A warmth pressed in over her face when she realized she had been caught staring at him. His white t-shirt was damp against his slender form and she couldn’t help, but survey over his long, lengthy legs. With focusing on school, it really had been so long since she had gotten to enjoy the touch of a man and she could tell that with the way the sight of their new neighbor made her feel. He was stunning and it was hard not to stare.

“As I said, I’m not changing my mind,” her father interrupted her focus and she had to shake her head to pull her attention away from the handsome older stranger across the street. “You could have handled things so much better.”

“You would think you wouldn’t be so misogynistic about this dad. He was forcing himself on me and I kicked him to defend myself,” she fought back with her father, still having a hard time understanding why her parents were so defiant against helping her. The memory was still fresh in her mind and she realized it was probably not good for her to be lusting over her new neighbor when she was thinking about the situation.  “I thought you would be proud of me for being able to fight him off.”

“Sure, if that’s where you stopped,” her father grumbled, finally finding the tool he was looking for before closing the trunk. The way her father folded his arms out in front of his chest frustrated her. “If you would have stopped there, I could have helped fight this for you.”  

“You act like what I did was a bad thing,” she rolled her eyes and slumped down, her eyes glancing back across the street to get a look at the neighbor who seemed to be very casually washing his car and she wondered if he was purposely being that way to listen in on their fight.

“You shattered the windows of his car and set the inside on fire. I think that’s a pretty bad thing,” her father snapped back and she heard the cough that came from across the street. It was hard not to make a comment as she looked back to see him smirking. It was obvious he was biting down on his cheeks hard to make sure he didn’t laugh and it drew attention to his dimples. If she wasn’t getting annoyed with him, she might have found it quite charming, but at the moment she found him to be a nosey asshole. “There is a reason you were expelled sweetheart.”

“Okay, first of all...if I did do that, I had every right to,” she explained with a shrug of her shoulders. “I went to the dean about what happened and of course he was a sexist piece of shit that refused to believe what happened. The old man told me that there was no proof that what I said happened was true.”

“And you could have fought that without going to those extremes,” her father raised his voice and she found herself embarrassed knowing that their new neighbor across the street likely was hearing everything. “They have video proof of you setting the fire in the teacher’s parking lot. I don’t know how you think that you will be able to appeal this.”

“Allegedly,” she shrugged her shoulders and caught the glare her father gave her. “We’ll see if they can provide the video of that when the time comes.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” her father jeered and she simply shrugged. She had devised a plan as to how to deal with that, but she still needed the money to make sure that she had a backup in case her original plan failed. “There is only so much someone can do to help you sweetheart.”

“He tried to rape me dad,” she fought back with an exasperated sound. “First he tried to manipulate me. He wanted me to do sexual acts on him before even considering helping me with my grade.”

“I’m not saying I don’t believe you,” her father countered with an empathetic sigh. “You were doing so good and then you just, did this. I can’t hand money over to you to just do whatever you want because then it would show I was supporting what you have done. After putting in all the hard work you did during high school and the first few years of college, I can’t believe you let it get to this.”

“Would you be acting this way if I was a male?” she pressed, catching the way that her father rolled his eyes. “I think things are this way because I’m a female. I think you just expected me to lie down and take it instead of defending myself.”

“You know that’s not true,” her father argued, clasping the tool tightly at his side. “The problem comes in that there is no proof to what you have said and there is proof that you did what you did to his car.”

“Allegedly,” she repeated her earlier comment and watched her father throw his hands up in a frustrated manner. “In order for me to be able to fight this or do anything, I need money. You were giving me money at school. I find it ridiculous that you refuse to give me that same money until I can figure it out.”

“We were attempting to make sure you were living life easily while you were studying so you could focus on your schoolwork,” her father stated with an exhausted breath, “you’re no longer doing your studies, so we’re no longer going to provide that money for you. If you want money, you need to get a job. I really believed in you. I didn’t want you to have to go through the pressures of having a job while also having to study. I wanted you to put all of your time into your schoolwork and that’s why I was eager to help you. Now, you need that job.”

“This is ridiculous,” she snorted, throwing her hands down at her sides. “You would think you would want to support me through this.”

“I support you, but I support you getting a job,” her father almost mocked her. Accepting defeat, she realized she was losing this battle and knew her father wasn’t breaking. She had been fighting with him for almost an hour and found herself overwhelmed that he wasn’t budging. “Be like everyone else. You’re an adult now, you don’t need us babying you.”

“I’m going to be able to go back to school dad and you are going to feel ridiculous that you didn’t help me through this,” Y/N insisted knowing that she was going to fight the school’s decision to expel her after what she went through.

“Great and I will be so proud of you when you are back in school. If that ever did happen, which is highly unlikely…we may reconsider the whole money thing,” her father stammered, eager to get back to the job he was working on before she started bickering with him. “Until then, I suggest you get a job.”

“Any job I can get here will be something that I can’t put my full potential into,” she claimed and her father shrugged dramatically again. “After all the work I’ve done with my education, you just want me to take some kind of low paying job?”

“A job is a job Y/N, you need to learn to be levelheaded about life,” her father maintained looking toward the house again, “It will be good for you to get a job. You’ll learn that everything is not going to be handed to you and the value of things become more important to you when you earn them yourself.”

“You’re teaching me a lesson now? When I’ve just gone through what I’ve gone through,” she was flustered with his response and found herself angry that he was so against understanding her situation. “I’m better than any job I’ll be able to find here dad.”

“A little humility wouldn’t hurt,” her father reached out to squeeze her shoulder and nodded back toward the house. “Now if you will excuse me, I’m going to head back and finish what I was doing.”

“Without a care in the world as to how I’m going to fix all of this,” she sarcastically replied watching her father roll his eyes before heading back inside.

An overwhelming frustration filled her entire body and she found herself in rage over what happened. She questioned if her family even believed her when she told them that her professor tried to assault her. It was something that truly happened and she hated that because she reacted ‘badly’ to the whole thing that people were holding everything against her. So what if there was proof that she may have done that to her professor’s car? Her parents should have believed her when she told them she was assaulted. They should have been just as enraged as she was. Instead, they believed she deserved to be expelled for what had happened and that hurt.

In her opinion, the professor was lucky that she didn’t do more to him. Kicking him in the balls and destroying his car was the least of his worries compared to what she wanted to do to him. After working as hard as she did in school, she was blown away that it all came to an end because of something like this.

Resting back against the car, she folded her arms in front of her chest and lifted her gaze to see the stranger that had been listening in still washing his car. He was clearly finishing up and she could tell he definitely wasn’t shy. When he noticed her staring at him, his eyes hooked on hers and a ridiculously charming smile gradually cracked in over his lips.

Standing up straighter, she watched him continue to dry his mustang off with the towel he was using before raising up. He tossed the towel aside and she felt her throat go dry. A chill pressed in over her spine when she saw the man reach for the bottom of his shirt, lifting it slightly to reveal his toned abdomen. The movement drew attention to the dark hair that was over his lower torso and it drew more attention to the lines in his body.

The cocky smirk over his features made her realize that he caught onto the way she was gawking at him and she lowered her gaze feeling embarrassed that she had been caught eyeing him over like that. It’s not like she was even subtle about it. She was full on staring and it was clear that the older man had caught on to it.

Lifting her head again, she saw him slowly lowering the material of his white t-shirt back down his body and she cleared her throat when he lifted his other hand to wave. His fingers wiggled in almost a teasing way and she waved back in what she assumed to be an awkward motion. Cussing to herself, she lowered her head again and headed back toward the house.

What an awful way to be introduced to the new neighbor that had clearly moved in while she was away at school. Of course, he had to be ridiculously good looking. Not only did he hear all of her dirty laundry that was going on in her life, but he also obviously picked up on the fact that she found him very attractive in that moment with her ogling him at the time.

Trying to avoid looking in that direction again, she went back into her home and headed into the kitchen to drop down at the table. Her mind was still lingering on the new neighbor when her mother moved into the room. When her mother spotted her, she could see that a sense of tension filled her mother’s body. Obviously, her father had warned her mother about her previous fight with him and her mother likely assumed that she would be fighting with her too. There was no sense in it though because once her father said something, it was final. Even if her mother wanted to give her money, her father would have never agreed to it.

“Hi…honey,” her mother went to the refrigerator to find something to prepare for dinner. Y/N stayed silent, not sure of what to even say to her mother. She was angry at both of her parents, but it was no use in trying to get them on her side of everything. They had their chance and they proved to her what they thought about everything that happened.

“Hey mom,” she thought about the new neighbor and cleared her throat. It was the only thing that had been able to pull her attention away from her anger toward her professor and school in quite some time. It was an inappropriate thought after all the things she had been through, but she was charmed by the sight of him and wanted to know more about him. “When did our neighbors across the street move out?”

“About a month ago,” her mother let out a relieved sound when she realized that Y/N wasn’t about to fight with her about money like she had clearly expected her to. “Why do you ask?”

“The new neighbor was out and he seems…odd,” Y/N answered honestly and her mother let out a dramatic sound. “What?”

“Are you talking about Mr. Smith?” her mother questioned and Y/N dramatically threw her hands up in the air. How would she know what the hell his name was? She just knew him as the nosy, good looking neighbor across the street. “Negan. It’s only him there. We had him over for dinner the first week he moved in.”

“Oh?” Y/N’s eyebrow perked up at that information. “Negan Smith. That’s quite the name.”

“Be nice dear,” her mother took notice of her sarcasm and Y/N rolled her eyes. “He’s a lovely man. His story is really sad actually.”

“Sad?” she repeated her mother’s words thinking about the handsome stranger across the street.

“Yeah, he moved because his wife died of pancreatic cancer,” her mother thought back to when they had invited Negan over for dinner to get to know their new neighbor. “The poor guy still wears his wedding ring even though she’s gone. He up and left everything he knew and had to start over new because being where he was just reminded him of her.”

“So, it was like an episode of Oprah while he was here?” Y/N almost joked and her mother gave her an angered expression. Dramatically throwing her hands in the air, she realized that her mother took his story serious and Y/N smirked. “I’m surprised he was so open with you about everything. You don’t usually open up like that to someone you just met.”

“I made the mistake of asking about his wife when I saw his wedding ring,” her mother recalled their conversation and shook her head. “He’s a very nice man. Works at the local high school.”

“Oh, I see,” she took in the details her mother had given her. He worked at the high school? Not exactly what she would have imagined the mustang driving stranger to be…a teacher. “And you like him?”

“He seems nice,” her mother reacted before heading back to start working on dinner again. “Did you say hello to him?”

“In a way,” Y/N grumbled thinking about him listening in on her conversation with her father. Sure, she had waved at him in probably a ridiculous fashion that would leave him more so amused with her rather than finding her appealing in any way. It was embarrassing just thinking about their interaction moments before. “Just not officially yet.”

“Well be friendly the next time you see him,” her mother ordered making Y/N groan at her mother’s comment. “With all the negative that has gone on in his life, the best thing we can do is be polite to that man. He needs it.”

“I’ll do my best mother,” she snorted, letting out a heavy breath. Maybe it was for the best to avoid the new neighbor. While she found him to be…interesting, she doubted he would want to know her any further than he had learned about her today. Hearing what she did to her professor probably scared him off and that was that. It was best to just get him off her mind, if she could.

----

Staring out at the flashing lights before her, Y/N swallowed down hard and let out a disappointed sound. Unfortunately, she had to swallow her pride and had to get a job. One of her friends let her know about a job that was available at a local club doing waitressing at night. It had pretty good tips and it would work with her schedule so she could do things during the earlier part of the day to work toward her goals with school. Her friend told her that she could pretty much guarantee her a position there as long as she came down and filled out an application. She would get to meet the owner and would likely be able to start working immediately the next day.

Pushing through the crowd, she knew that she would have to get used to the loud music and the overabundance of people surrounding her like this. If this was the best job she could get on a short notice that paid decently then she would have to take it. Even if this made her feel…cheap?

Waiting for a while at the bar, she almost felt overwhelmed at the idea of working here. She caught a glimpse at what she would be wearing every single night and it was obvious why they made good tips. Wearing short skirts and low V-neck tops would definitely draw a certain crowd and she realized that. At the end of the day, she just hoped she would only have to do it for a little while before getting where she wanted to be.

Usually her nights were very quiet and spent studying. She really buried herself into her work when she was at the university, so these kinds of places were rare for her. Sure, she had been to a few of them, but she was more of a person that liked to be to herself away from people. The most important thing to her was her future, so even the idea of working here kind of depressed her. It was completely against who she was.

After meeting the owner of the club, it was pretty clear that she would be getting the job after she filled out the paperwork which they left her to do. It was hard to get done with the loud music filling the air around her and the constant elbows that continued to bump into her around the surrounded bar. When she was almost done with filling everything out, she saw a shot being placed beside her on the bar and she lifted her head to see the bartender staring out at her with a smirk.

“What is this? A welcome to the team shot?” she took a look at it and gave them a confused look.

“Tall, dark and handsome over there ordered it for you,” the bartender nodded toward the other side of the bar and her eyes surveyed the bar until they landed on a familiar face. That new neighbor she had spotted across the street was sitting at the bar talking to another woman and she let out a tense breath.

“What is it?” Y/N looked to the drink and grabbed a hold of the shot glass, looking over the drink.

“It’s a blowjob,” the bartender answered and Y/N let out a disgusted breath realizing that it was likely a joke referring to what he had heard with her fight with her father previously. “It’s Kahlua, Irish Cream and whipped cream on top.”

“I see,” she smirked not knowing if she should take the drink over there to throw it in his face or not. Getting down from her seat after grabbing the shot, she moved over toward the end of the bar where he was at and boldly stepped between him and the woman he was talking to.

“Excuse me,” the woman let out an irritated breath behind her and Y/N held her hand up to silence her. “We were having a discussion.”

“Not anymore you’re not,” Y/N looked over her shoulder at the other woman, her eyes narrowing in an angry stare. It took a minute before the woman backed down and stepped back. An amused laugh fell from her neighbor’s lips and she brought her attention back to him when the woman he was with walked away. “You’re an asshole.”

“I’d like to think I’m more of a smartass, but that works too,” he reached for his beer and brought the bottle to his lips to take a long swig of it. “You know, that was my date.”

“Negan, right?” she confirmed his name while completely ignoring his comment. His thick eyebrows perked up. He nodded once before taking another large swallow of his drink. “What is this?”

“It’s a shot,” Negan answered, his eyes looking down at what he ordered for her. “You looked stressed, I thought you could use it.”

“Do you think you’re funny?” she looked toward the drink and set it on the bar before them.

“Kinda, yeah,” Negan snorted, a wolfish smile expanding over his good-looking features. It was clear he was cocky and she didn’t know whether she was attracted to him or just ridiculously angry at him. “I’m just fucking with you. Obviously, I heard your discussion with your father.”

“And what? You think I’m ridiculous too for what I did?” she snapped at him and Negan’s eyebrow arched up, almost amused with her question. “I know you heard what I did.”

“Nah, I think it was fucking awesome what you did,” Negan replied almost immediately and he shrugged his shoulders. “Personally, I think any man that tries to force themselves on a woman should be castrated. I think what you did to the guy was nice in comparison to what I would have done to him.”

“You’re the first person to think that,” she admitted and Negan frowned. She agreed with him. She wanted to do so much worse to the professor, so the fact he thought it was awesome what she had done intrigued her. “Everyone thinks I went too far.”

“Well I think you’re a badass,” Negan informed her with a wink and he set his beer back down on the bar top. “Your parents don’t know what they are talking about. You’re special. I can tell.”

“Oh yeah?” she was almost amused with his comment. It was a little cheesy, yet her had her hooked in that moment. “Why did you really buy me this?”

“Truthfully, I was thinking of the best way to get you over here to talk to me,” he confessed and she felt her heart skip a beat at what he said.  

“So you decided to piss me off?” she snapped at him and a small laugh escaped his throat.

“Well, you’re here…aren’t you?” Negan pointed out with a wiggle of his eyebrow, his deep voice rasp and it caused her to shudder at just the sound of it. “So, it worked.”

“What? You weren’t enjoying your date?” Y/N looked over her shoulder to survey the area where the woman that he was with had gone off to.

“You know you move to a new place and people are trying to hook you up with someone they know because they think you would just make the most perfect couple,” Negan mocked what he had clearly heard from those that he had just met after moving into the subdivision. “She was boring. You are far more interesting.”

“How did you know that I was old enough to have that?” she looked down at the drink and his eyes were locked on hers.

“Are you?” he slurred, his tongue drawing a wet line over his bottom lip.

“Does it matter?” she replied, trying to read his expression. “How old are you?”

“Does it matter?” he repeated her previous statement and it made her smile. “Older than you.”

“Obviously,” she grunted, reaching out to trace her fingers over the shot glass. The salt and pepper coloring of his short beard told her he was likely much older than her, but she didn’t care. Taking a moment to think things over, she brought the shot glass to her lips. Her eyes were hooked on Negan before she tipped her head back and quickly took the drink back.

“You still haven’t told me your name,” Negan reminded her, biting into his bottom lip while his head almost bobbed in an arrogant fashion.

“What? My parents didn’t tell you when you were over for dinner?” she sharply responded and Negan grinned at her sassy response. “I’m sure you know it.”

“Even if I did, we’ve never really had a formal introduction,” Negan leaned forward in his chair, his face extraordinarily close to hers making a shuddering breath fall from her lips. “I like to make a good first impression. Obviously, I’m Negan, but you already know that.”

“Y/N,” she almost whispered and Negan let out an amused sound. He pulled back, holding his hand out for hers. Expecting him to go for a handshake, she gave him her hand to which he gradually pulled her hand up to deposit a soft kiss over the back of her hand. It caused her to tremor in response while his bright hazel eyes were hooked on her eyes.

“What are you doing here tonight Y/N?” Negan nodded toward the area she was in originally.

“Getting a job,” she frowned, almost embarrassed to admit it. “As you know, I’m kind of having some money problems. In order to figure things out with school, I kind of need money to support myself.”

“Hmmm…” Negan lowered his head, his free hand reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. “You know, I was thinking about that. I think I may have an option for you if you are interested. It would help you with the whole money situation.”

“Oh?” she pulled her hand slowly away from Negan and he nodded. “That’s not creepy.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say,” Negan chuckled, his nose wrinkling as he stared out at her. “Don’t you want to hear it first?”

“Not really,” she honestly answered, seeing the shocked expression fall upon his handsome features. “I don’t need someone else’s help that I don’t even know.”

“Well that’s a shame,” he grumbled tilting his head to the side and Y/N let out an overwhelmed sound. “As someone who agrees with what you were saying earlier, I thought you might like having my help, but if you want to work here…I give it to you. That’s dedication.”

“Well it was nice to meet you Negan,” she backstepped away from the bar and Negan gave her an amused look. “I’m glad I could save you from your poor date.”

“You’re leaving? Just like that, huh?” Negan muttered and she felt her body completely on fire after her interaction with Negan. “Interesting.”

“Well, I like to make a lasting first impression. Thanks for the drink,” she winked at him and heard the deep chuckle that fell from his throat when she moved away from him.  

Heading back to her paperwork, she attempted to finish it without raising her head to look back up at Negan. While she found Negan completely interesting, she knew that she shouldn’t be getting herself into something else that could potentially be bad for her. She was ridiculously attracted to Negan and she knew it was bad for her.

It took a while for her to finish her paperwork and when she finished, she could see Negan was getting up to leave. Part of her wanted to go after him because there was that intrigue to know what he was going to offer her, but she let her better half keep her where she was seated. Whatever the idea Negan had; it definitely wasn’t going to work for her so it was just better to ignore what had happened tonight. Negan was interesting to her, but she assumed that being around him would be bad news.

Finishing everything she had to, she eagerly left afterwards and headed home. When she got home, she could see that Negan was standing on his porch smoking. Stopping at the bottom of the driveway, she noticed that he was alone and for some reason she couldn’t stop thinking about what he had said to her. Negan’s gaze lifted to hers when he pulled his cigarette from his lips and exhaled a large amount of smoke.

Negan lowered his gaze and went back to smoking showing her that he clearly lost his interest in her after she turned him down at the bar. Damn, maybe she should have just stuck around to hear his offer. The possibilities flooded her mind. Most of the time she would have just blown people off and forgot about them, but Negan was stuck in her mind. Negan was a teacher…what could he possibly have been able to offer her that was better than the waitressing job at the club?

Trying not to focus on it, she forced herself to look away from him. The urge to go talk to him again was there, but she knew better.

Heading back inside, she tried to go to her room and forget her interaction with Negan. She had to start work the next day and she knew it was for the best to get as much rest as she could, but all she could think about was Negan. There was something that left him lingering in her mind and she damned herself for it. He was so damn charming, but she had only just met him. She shouldn’t have been immediately attracted to him like she was.

It was a hard night for her, but she managed to get some rest before heading to work for her first day. Work was harder than she expected it to be. She hated what she had to wear. Multiple times her ass had been grabbed and it was so hard for her not to deck someone when they did it. Her friend tried to tell her that it would be okay because the more relaxed she was, the more tips she would get. Just further into the night, she found herself getting more irritated and she knew that it was likely showing in her attitude toward the customers.

“Hey, you have someone requesting you at table nine,” her friend moved over toward her and handed her over the drink tray that they had made. “Clearly you actually impressed someone tonight. It’s rare someone requests one of us.”

“Really?” Y/N was confused, but accepted the drinks taking them to the table. When her eyes connected with the familiar hazel eyed stare, she let out a frustrated sound and put the drinks on the table. “Negan, what do you want?”

“I just wanted to support you on your first day,” Negan muttered with a bright, arrogant smile and she lowered her head. She was overwhelmed, she was hot and she felt like a mess. Having him be there was embarrassing. She didn’t want him to see her like this. “You look like you’re doing great.”

“Eat me,” she blurt out and Negan snorted with an amused laugh. “I’m falling on my face.”

“It’s your first day, I’m sure it will get better,” Negan reached for one of the drinks she had brought him and she surveyed the area around him knowing that he had gotten two drinks.

“Are you on another date that you need saving from?” she looked around and Negan shook his head, his eyes looking her over and she suddenly felt very bare before him. “You just thirsty?”

“Oh no, that’s for you,” Negan nodded at the drink knowing she was referring to the second drink he had gotten. “Why don’t you take a seat and let me actually talk to you today. I know you’re stubborn and I like that, but I think you should hear me out.”

“I can’t drink on the job,” she responded with a twisted, confused look. “I have a job.”

“Yes, you do,” Negan took a long sip of his drink, letting out a dramatic sigh when he got comfortable in his seat. “But I think you should hear me out.”

“I have to work Negan,” she reminded him and Negan shrugged his shoulders. He reached for his wallet and grabbed some money before handing it over to her. Going to turn on her heel, she took a look at the money to see that he had tipped her two hundred dollars. Debating whether or not she should tell him, she turned on her heel and held the money back out to him. “I don’t think you meant to give me this.”

“Yes, I did…” Negan looked at the money she was trying to return to him. Y/N’s arms lowered at her sides and he arched his eyebrow in a curious response. “Is that not a good enough tip? I can give you more…”

“Wait a minute, hold on,” she held her hands up in the air seeing Negan reaching for his wallet to open it up again. “You’re a schoolteacher, you can’t afford to tip me like this.”

“Ooo, someone is very assuming…aren’t they?” Negan rumbled, his deep voice filling the space around them and she swallowed down hard. “Sit down.”

Looking back toward the bar, she knew that they were busy, but she did as he told her and pulled the seat out to sit across from him, “See, I happen to be looking for someone to give me company and you are looking to get money fast…correct?”

“Yeah?” she gave him an odd expression while he reached out to slide her drink in closer to her. “What’s your point?”

“I would like you to spend some time with me,” Negan informed her, his fingers tracing over the table while he spoke. “And for doing that, I’ll give you whatever you want. I’ll buy you whatever you want. You can have two hundred dollars for every day you spend with me.”

“You want to pay me to spend time with you?” she stammered and Negan nodded, his hazel eyes hooked on hers. His offer confused her more than it actually answered her questions. “Why?”

“Why not?” Negan immediately answered and she reached for the drink he had bought for her to take a long gulp of it. The rate at which she drank it amused Negan and he reached for his to take another sip. “So?”

“You know I’m not a hooker, right?” she pointed out thinking about the idea of what he was saying to her. Her outburst made him laugh and he almost choked on his drink when she said what she did. “I’m sure there are people around here that would be willing to sleep with you for money Negan.”

“Did I say I wanted you to sleep with me? I’m pretty sure I just said I wanted you to spend time with me,” Negan feigned being offended, placing his large hand over the center of his chest. “Plus, look at me. Do I really look like the kind of guy that needs to pay someone to have sex with them?”

“Oh, look at you…Mr. Arrogant,” she scoffed and Negan leaned in closer to the table closing the distance between them. Negan reached out to place his hand over hers and he swiped his fingers delicately over the back of her hand causing her to shudder. Her eyes slammed shut and she bit into her bottom lip while having the rough caress of his fingertips over the back of her hand. Forcing herself to focus, she opened her eyes again to see he was proud of himself with the way she was reacting to his touch alone.

“And you like it,” Negan simply muttered, his eyes hooked on her lips as she swallowed down hard. “You can still pretend with your parents that you have this job so they won’t question where you are getting the money.”

“Where are you getting all this money?” she looked down at the two hundred dollars she had set on the table beside the drink he had gotten for her.

“I teach because I want to teach sweetheart. I like doing it,” Negan answered, letting out a heavy exhale as he shifted in his seat.

“What are the rules?” she spoke up after taking a moment to think and Negan seemed impressed that she asked him that. “I spend time with you obviously, but there has to be something with it. Are we having sex?”

“Only if you want to. We don’t have to,” Negan replied with a simple sigh, his dimples sucking in when he smiled brightly.

“So, if I didn’t want to have sex with you?” she retorted finding it hard to believe that he was willing to have her around and pay her without her putting out for him.

“Then I would be perfectly okay with it,” Negan responded, sliding his hand further up her arm and she lowered her gaze to look at his large fingers tracing over her flesh. “We don’t have to have sex. I will never force anything on you.”

“So, if I agree, what am I agreeing to?” she heard someone calling out her name at the bar, but her attention was fully on Negan as his smile expanded.

“You have to agree to be mine. You can’t date anyone. You can’t have sex with anyone else,” Negan breathed and she felt her pulse leap inside of her chest while she listened to him. “And you’ll have to listen to me, within reason.”

“What? Like a slave?” she blurt out and Negan rolled his eyes before shaking his head. “Then what?”

“Anything I have you doing, you’ll want to be doing,” Negan assured her, his Adam’s apple bouncing inside of his throat while he stared out at her. “And if you don’t want to be doing it, something tells me you will like it after you are done.”

“So, I’d be your submissive?” she thought about what he was saying and he shrugged his shoulders. The idea of that actually turned her on and she couldn’t believe that it actually did. Picturing Negan being her dominant sexually caused a warmth to spread throughout her entire body. “Is this where I’m supposed to agree to everything and you take me to your red room?”

“God,” Negan groaned, lowering his head and letting out a loud laugh. “No. Not at all. You’ve watched too many movies…and bad ones at that.”

“How long does the offer last?” she thought about what he was offering her and she could see the amused look in his eyes. Maybe if she thought it over and did this a few more days, she would be able to determine what she really wanted.

“Just tonight,” Negan muttered with a sense of arrogance in his tone. “It lasts while I’m right here in front of you. After I leave, the offer is gone.”

“Does that mean we are just going to leave and have sex?” she blurt out and Negan shook his head. “Why not?”

“I told you that we would only do it if you wanted to,” he reminded her and she cleared her throat, feeling her throat go dry.

“What if I wanted to do it?” she slurred and a proud sound fell from Negan’s throat when she was clearly admitting that she wanted to potentially sleep with him.

“Nah sweetheart. You may want to do it immediately, but that’s my decision to make,” Negan denied her of that, his voice getting deeper when he leaned in closer to her. “By the time we have sex, if we have sex…you’re going to want it so entirely bad that you’ll be begging me for it. You’ll have to know for certain that I’m what you want. That you’ve never wanted something more in your entire life.”

“That’s bold to think that I would want sex that badly from you,” she quietly spoke knowing that they were close enough to hear each other. “You really think you’re that good?”

“I don’t think, I know,” Negan insisted with a firm nod, dragging his tongue over his bottom lip in a seductive sweep. “I will make you my princess. You will get everything you want and then some. I will pamper you like you deserve to be pampered.”

“There are people out there that would likely agree to this without being paid Negan,” she gulped thinking about the offer he was putting out. There was a warmth pooling at her core from his responses to her. Something like this she would have assumed would usually had turned her off, but she found Negan very appealing. His words had her body shaking and she didn’t know if she could jump right into this. “As you said, you aren’t the kind of man hurting for sex.”

“I don’t want other people, I want you,” Negan responded, reaching out to drag his thumb over her bottom lip. It caused her to let a whimper and a cocky smile expanded over his handsome features. It was clear he had her eating out of the palm of his hand without even trying that hard. “I like the fire in you.”

“You might get burned,” she leaned in closer to him when she felt the warmth of his breath over her face.

“Mmm, I like the sound of that,” Negan winked teasing the pad of his thumb back and forth over her flesh. It caused her to tremor and he knew that she was definitely considering what he was saying. “So, what do you say?”

“You’ll never force anything on me?” she confirmed and Negan immediately nodded. “If I’m uncomfortable…”

“Then we can stop this at any time,” Negan promised, “I’m not going to keep someone around who doesn’t want to be around. I saw the way you looked at me though. From the first moment you laid eyes on me, I could see it in the way you breathed that you wanted me. With the way your eyes are dilated right now I know I have you ridiculously turned on. You’re interested and you’re definitely attracted to me. So, I know I wouldn’t be forcing anything on you.”

“You’re that confident?” she leaned in closer to him, pressing a soft kiss over the pad of his thumb and she watched him pull his hand slowly away from her.

“What’s your answer Y/N?” Negan urged her to answer him about his offer.

“When would we start?” she heard someone calling her name again from the bar sounding angrier than they were before.

“Right now,” Negan slowly stood from the table and reached his hand out to her. “If you want to do this, come with me.”

“But I’m working,” she reminded him, looking back over her shoulder to see her boss waving her on angrily from where he was.

“And? You don’t need this job if you agree to what I’m offering you,” Negan wiggled his fingers, trying to persuade her to come with him. “This is your last chance.”

Taking a moment to think about everything, she lowered her head and felt goosebumps pressing in over her arms. There was something strangely intriguing about the mystery of Negan, but she found herself out of breath because of everything that had happened. Never before had she truly wanted someone as bad as she did Negan.

“Take a leap of faith my dear,” Negan kept his eyes hooked on hers. Reaching for Negan’s hand she felt him firmly grab her hand in his and he pulled her up from the table to him. A gasp fell from her lips when she fell in against his chest and reached up to place her free palm over the center of it. His face was incredibly close to hers and she found herself wanting to kiss him, but he kept his distance just enough as if to tease her. “Good choice.”

Negan hooked his fingers with hers and led her through the crowded club and outside. This was usually completely against everything she would normally do, but she was charmed by Negan. His offer had perked her interest and when she followed him to the parking lot she wondered if she was crazy for doing this.

Noticing that Negan was leading her to a motorcycle, she let out a tense breath and felt her body locking up when he reached for one of the helmets he had to offer it to her, “Should I be worried?”

“As long as you hold tightly to me, everything should be fine,” Negan winked, getting on the bike motioning her to get on behind him. Carefully getting onto the motorcycle, she did as Negan instructed and wrapped her arms firmly around his torso.

“Is this where you kidnap me and people will never find me?” she joked, but still found herself almost worried knowing that this was a bit strange. Negan was still a stranger to her and even though he was charming, she knew next to nothing about him.

“I was actually thinking of getting to know you first darlin’ before kidnapping you,” Negan snickered, glancing over his shoulder at her as she leaned in closer to him when he started up the motorcycle.

“God,” she rolled her eyes taking notice that he was screwing with her. “I have valid fears.”

“Sure you do, but you’re just going to have to trust me,” Negan assured her with an amused breath. “We’ll start things off simple. I promise.”

----

Tags: @slutlanna976​​​  @nubbinrobin​​​ @oreostars​​  @fuckthis-and-fuckthat​​​ @jennydehavilland​​​ @felicity291​​ @de-gabyconamor​​ @ibelongtonegan​​​ @smallsadjellyfish​​ @labyrinthofheartagrams​​  @msjamesmarch​​ @thebeautysurrounds​​ @hotfornegan​​ @redmercysugar​​ @caprithebunny​​ @iluvneganandjamie​​ @ninamarietwd​​ @tuttifuckinfruitty​​ @emoryhemsworth​​ @a-girl-interupted​​ @akumune​​ @stoneyggirl​​  (just tagged my normal tags, if you don’t want it, I apologize)

[carnationcreation]

Safe haven (Will Byers x reader)

Masterlist

Prompt/summary: Reader is new in town and gets trapped in the upside down with Will

Word Count: 1,988

Warnings: Kidnapping (if you can call it that), mentions of PTSD, trauma bonding, etc.

Hawkins, Indiana was definitely a… strange town. I could never really pinpoint what made me think that but somewhere in the back of my mind that is just how I would describe it. Adjusting to a new life in a town that made me vaguely uncomfortable was not how I pictured my middle school years to finish up.

The move came as a surprise. With my dad getting a job at Hawkins lab my mom and I didn’t really have a choice but to move with him. After about a week of unpacking my mom finally got a job at the local newspaper as a secretary.

My science class was definitely interesting. Mr. Clarke was an enthusiastic teacher who really only taught to the four boys sitting up front, the rest just seemed like background characters. Everyone realized that they could get away with raising their hand only once a day and sometimes even less than that. Regardless of if the answer was correct or not Mr. Clarke would take that as participation and wouldn’t really force anyone to talk after that. Being the new kid that was amazing.

When I wasn’t at school I was either one of two places. One being at the office with my mom, or two blowing my allowance money at the arcade. Tonight was arcade night. Mom stayed late to finish up some last minute papers while I spent 2 hours playing Dig Doug and stuffing my face with chilli dogs from the concession stand. I even made the top score tonight. Before I knew it the clock finally hit 8:30 signalling closing time. I grabbed my bike off the rack and began my ride home.

The ride home was dark. My bike lamp was out so I tried to use the flashlight I kept in my bag. Riding one handed was not fun. I could feel clouds forming leaving the moisture smell in the air.

I heard something behind me and soon enough Will Byers pulled up next to me, “Hey!” he shouted, “you ride through Mirkwood?”

“What?” I shouted back.

“This road is called Mirkwood by the locals, where’s your house?”

“Just beyond the ridge, my dad works at the lab” I said, his bike lamp was now illuminating the way so I put my flashlight into my front basket.

“I didn’t even know you lived that close to me,” he smiled.

“Me neither.”

Just then Will’s lamp started flickering. We both jolted on our bikes trying to adjust to the darkness. Right as we started up the hill a tall lanky figure appeared in front of us. We both swerved to the right. We sped down a hill and into a ditch. My bike crashed into a try sending my flying onto my back. For a second I laid there trying to regain the wind that was knocked out of me.

“(Y/n)! Come on we gotta get out of here!” Will said. He pulled me to my feet and we began to run through the woods. Tripping over tree limbs and stumbling over rocks.

“My house is right over here,” he yelled.

We ran inside. Turning the lock and the deadbolt before he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the back. “Johnathan? Mom?”

His dog continued to bark. Will grabbed the phone and tried to dial 911, but a loud static sound was heard even from where I stood. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed the sharpest knife out of the block. A loud bang was heard at the front door and Will dropped the phone.

“There’s a gun out back,” Will said.

We barricaded the shed door as much as we could, Will fumbled with the rifle but soon had one in the chamber and pointing at the door. I gripped the knife so tight my knuckles went white.

A strange gurgling was heard behind us.

As we turned around, there it was.

We were gone before we could react.

________________________________________________

We woke up in the woods.

Not in the same woods we ran through, but I swear it was the same one just… dark. The same feeling I got in the back of my head walking through town. Random particles flew through the air. Spores? Dust?

Will groaned from beside me.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I think so.”

From ahead was the same gurgling we heard last night.

“What do we do?” I asked.

“Run.”

________________________________________________

We ran.

For 2 days we ran. Breaking into gas stations and the grocery store to hide and steal food when we could. Everything tasted bland or stale. We stashed water bottles in our backpacks along with chips and granola bars. Taking turns sleeping and staying on the move.

It was terrifying.

Every single noise felt like it was my last moment alive. Every movement out of the corner of my eyes made me jump. When I could sleep it felt like I hadn’t at all. We never got a good look at that, well, thing, that took us. All we knew is that it was huge and dangerous. The tentacles tried to grab us but we dodged as much as we could.

It was so cold we would sleep in the same sleeping bag we found. Any embarrassment went out the door due to me almost getting frostbite on my toes. We took shifts sleeping when we could. I think Will let me sleep longer than our agreed time but I never said anything. It made me feel selfish.

Sometimes when we thought it was safe we would talk. Anything that came to mind we would discuss, trying to make it feel like we weren’t being hunted by a creature in a strange world we didn’t know. We talked about music, books, science, video games. Anything.

“Do you think they’re looking for us?” I asked. Will shifted so he could look down at me. My head was on his shoulder and his arm was around me. The ground was hard under us but I felt the most comfortable I could be at that moment.

“Well, I think so. My mom always tells us how she loves us more than anything, and Johnathan is the only brother I have. What about you?”

“My dad isn’t around much, my mom tries her best to make my life seem normal but it doesn’t always work out. I know she’s probably tearing up the town trying to find out where I am. Oh gosh I hope she doesn’t think I ran away.”

“Our bikes were left in the woods, I think they would’ve found them by now. How long has it been?” Will said, he stretched his right arm out to place behind his head as a pillow.

“A few days at least,” I said before I yawned loudly.

Will smiled, “Get some rest, I’ll take first watch.”

I pressed my nose towards his shoulder to hide my smile. Just as I began to drift off the words popped into my head. He’s my safe haven.

We were exhausted.

I think that was part of the creature's game. It wanted us to run and wear ourselves out so it could kill us easier. I tried to fight that theory with everything I could. I stocked energy drinks when we could find them, we made coffee one night to drink the next morning, anything we could to give us enough energy to run the next day.

But it wasn't enough.

________________________________________________

It finally got us.

All that running just made us fall into its trap.

Watching Will get picked up by the tentacles and dragged away from me played over in my mind. The last thing I remembered was the thing shoving some sort of gross tube down my throat. And now it just feels like I’m lucid dreaming. I saw my house, not the one in Hawkins but the one I lived in before we moved. My family was inside. I thought I was safe yet I still felt that feeling in the back of my brain. That’s when they attacked me.

The nightmares only got worse from there.

I felt myself slowly slipping away. Like a battery in my brain was slowly being drained. I fought to keep dreaming but I was getting flooded with the exhaustion and the want to give up.

Where was Will? I just wanted to be back in the sleeping bag with him. I wanted to feel his arms around me and his slow breathing in my ear.

I felt something being ripped out of me. My lungs felt like I was underwater. I felt someone pressing on my chest and I woke up coughing. I sputtered, gasped, and cried as I was lifted into someone's arms.

“(Y/n)? This is police chief Hopper. You’re safe now.”

He looked familiar. I racked my brain trying to think of where I saw him but I only had one thought on my mind. Hopper placed an oxygen mask over my face.

“Will?” I gasped out. My chest still hurt.

“He’s right here,” a woman said, she had him cradled in his arms.

I reached out to him. I needed to make sure he was still there. That this wasn’t a nightmare.

He grabbed on to my hand.

“Please don’t let go,” I sobbed.

“I promise,” he said.

And he didn’t.

Not when we were put into the car, not when we got to the hospital, not even when we were being treated. The adults just left us alone. We were put in two beds as close together as possible. At one point a doctor came in to take my vidals and tried to pull me away from him, I don’t know exactly why but I broke down. Another doctor came in and explained something about trauma bonding and PTSD.

My parents came to see me. Dad didn’t look too happy about me holding hands with a boy, but he still didn’t say anything. Apparently he quit his job at the lab.

Weeks passed by in an instant. The nightmares never stopped but they did get better. Will showed me castle Byers and we often went there after I asked him over the radio. His friends accepted the fact that I would hang around since I never wanted to be far from the Byers boy.

At one point Mike pulled me to the side, “Thank you for keeping him alive.”

“We kept each other alive.”

I never got to meet El. Which was a shame because I’d always wanted to meet a real life Jedi. But as time went on she became an afterthought. My mind stayed focussed on school and the next time I’d get to see Will again. I slowly managed to deal with my separation anxiety (as my therapist called it) and began doing my own thing most days, but I was still over at the Byers house as often as possible.

“Do you think they’ll stop?”

“Stop what?” I asked.

“The nightmares,” Will said, “Do you think they’ll stop?”

I sat the comic book I was reading down on my lap and sighed, “Maybe one day, for now I’m just so thankful that we’re alive they don’t bother me as much.”

“Can I say something?”

I looked in confusion, “You can tell me anything Will.”

“I think-” he coughed into his hand, “I think… I’m in love with you.”

I wasn’t surprised but was still left speechless. I scooted closer to him on the bed.

And we kissed.

After that, I knew there was gonna be no one else but him. No one else who will ever know what I went through, no one else who will know how I need to be held after I had a nightmare, no one else that can calm the racing thoughts I’ve had since November 6th, and no one else I would want to face the fear of something as new as relationships.

He was my safe haven.

[kimnjss]

selfishly mine | requested

⇢ pairing: taehyung x reader ⇢ fic type: one shot ⇢ genre: angst, smut ⇢ word count: 3.9K ⇢ theme: boyfriend!taehyung + jealous boyfriend ⇢ warnings: cursing, dirty talk, oral sex (m. receiving), deep throat, possession kink, fingering (f. receiving), doggy style, praise kink, unprotected sex (be safe loves!), cum inside, cream pie. ⇢ synopsis: after what was supposed to be a nice quiet dinner with his friends, taehyung decides he should put you in your place, the best way he can think of. ⇢ A/N: sorry it took so long, lmao! kinda got into the idea of one request a day sooo, i've just been doing that! thanks for being so patient and i hope you like it... i might’ve gotten a bit carried away...... :]

In the past few months you and Taehyung had been together, he never missed the chance to marvel about his admiration for your fashion sense. If he wasn't complimenting you over and over again about the way you dressed, he was asking your opinion on something that he wanted to wear.

You loved it. The drop 'o' expression he'd pull whenever you were rounding the corner. Hearing him tell you in a deep voice how good you looked. How he loved the way something you were wearing fit you. Just that alone was enough to have your toes curling.

Which was why you were taking special care of you appearance after he announced you'd be meeting his hyungs for the first time. About two years ago he had a staring role in a TV drama. He had kept in touch with some of his co-stars and tonight was the first time you were being invited to one of their meetups; you wanted to make a good impression, because that boy loved to brag. Never missing an opportunity to show you off. The memory of meeting his BANGTAN friends for the first time was still fresh in your mind.

He wouldn't shut up the entire night about how great you were. Stroking your ego each and every time he opened your mouth. You couldn't tell if his buddies were getting annoyed or not, you were too focused on him and how good his words were making you feel.

You hoped tonight wouldn't be much different. Dressed nicely in a checkered red and black two piece, a black turtle neck underneath the spaghetti strap top, you waited in the kitchen for your boyfriend's arrival.

He was knocking on the door only two minutes after he said he'd be there. He grinned widely at you at the swing of the front door, arms instantly finding your waist as he pulled you toward him. “Missed you, beauty.” He mumbled, head nuzzled into the crook of your neck.

Due to his extremely busy schedule, you really only got to see each other once or twice a week... unless he was on a break. He was constantly flying from here to there and then back again, you two hardly had time to take a moment.

This was your first time seeing him in a long while and you had to admit, you missed him a lot too. Which was exactly what you were replying before unwrapping your body from his, going to grab your purse and following him out to the car.

He drove, a leisure he didn't always have, you beside him with your hands joined ontop the middle console. You chatted the whole way to the restaurant, him telling you funny stories of him and his hyungs. You listened, putting your input where it fit and laughing along with him.

Before you knew it, he was parking and rounding the car to open the door for you. His fingers wrapped around yours, a wet kiss landing on your lips as you slid from your seat. You smiled against his mouth, arms going to wrap around his neck. “I like what you're wearing,” He mumbled against your lips, eyes boring into yours. The tips of his fingers toyed with the hem of your skirt.

You bit your lip. Noticing the subtle change within his eyes. Much darker and less playful. It seemed almost random, but you knew your boyfriend well enough to know it wasn't. You didn't fail to notice his lingering stare, constant pull at his lower lips, the curious drag of his fingers over your thighs. All this while he was concentrating on the road and telling you stories.

He was nothing if not a multitask-er. “Taehyung-ie, is that you?” The voice came from behind you two. You stepped back, eyes finding the owner of the words. Park Hyungsik took long strides toward you and you had to keep your mouth from dropping.

Of course, you've seen him on TV. In pictures with your beloved boyfriend, but never... not once have you seen him in person. He was just as handsome, if not more standing right in front of you. He grinned.

Tae was quick to introduced you two. You stepped forward, offering your hand for a handshake, which he gratefully took. “Wow, you weren't lying... she's gorgeous,” His words were directed to your boyfriend. “She's making my heart flutter... just standing there,” You couldn't fight the blush that dusted over your cheeks.

“Thank you,” You smiled, hand slipping from his grasp. “You're... uh, very handsome too.” You felt like an idiot. Of course he knew that, he had thousands of people whining about his good looks on the daily. Nevertheless, he accepted your compliment, turning his back to you two.

“Hyung is already inside,” He gestured toward the entrance and you began to follow him. Tae was close behind you, securing an arm around your waist as you two made your way inside. He held you close the entire walk to the table, grip dropping only when he was sitting down.

He took your hand instead. “Aren't you going to introduce us?” Seojoon glanced at his friend in slight confusion. Taehyung nodded his head slightly, lifting your intertwined hands. “Hyung, this is my girlfriend, Y/N. Y/N, Seojoon-hyung.”

You were just barely able to wiggle your hand from your boyfriend's grasp, offering a handshake to the man sitting across from you before sinking back into your seat. Taehyung smiled slightly when your hand was finding his again.

The three men fell into easy conversation, catching each other up on the happenings of their life, excitement on their faces as they talked. You listened quietly, pitching in here and there. And before you knew it they were turning the conversation on to you.

Your interests discussed, your taste in music, what your plans were for the future. You answered all the questions that Tae didn't beat you to. It surprised you how much he knew about you, things that you didn't remember telling him.

“She doesn't answer her own questions?” Seojoon spoke jokingly and you let out a soft laugh when Taehyung was answering again, “She does.” You smiled, running your thumb over the back of his hand.

“He's just trying to show off,” You grinned. “Tae pays so much attention to me,” Your words were enough to wipe the embarrassed look off of his face. If only you knew that wasn't the case at all. He wasn't trying to prove his knowledge on your day-to-day life, not at all. His intentions was much more... primal.

He was able to mask it after that comment, allowing you to speak and not jumping to be the buffer between his friends and you. Taehyung watched how easily you were able to get along with the two men, laughing at their jokes and sharing common interests.

And he would've been happy about it too, if it wasn't for Hyungsik's constant obvious flirting. At least, it was obvious to everyone except for you. You were just falling into it, being shameless along with him.

He nearly lost it when you got up to switch seats with Seojoon so you were now sitting next to Hyungsik. A lame excuse of wanting to see the video he was showing you on his phone, yet you never returned to your original spot.

Tae tried to involve himself in your conversation and when that failed, he tried to talk to Seojoon. Tried to hide the fact that he was a jealous wreck and wanted nothing more than to rip you away from his hyung and show you who you belonged to.

He hated thinking that way. You were a person and not some prize to be fought over, but in the same breath you were his. You had always been his and now he had to sit there and watch his girl get close with someone else? That was enough to put anyone in a bad mood.

He concentrated on his meal, happy that the table was much quieter now that the food was out. “Oh! Y/N, this has to be the best burger I've ever... you've got to try this.” Hyungsik was breaking off a piece of his sandwich, offering it to you on a fork.

“She doesn't eat red meat,” Tae grumbled from across the table and you smiled at him, shaking your head. “Thanks baby, but I can...” He was scoffing before you could finish your sentence, waving you off with a flick of his wrist.

“Fucking eat it then,” He rolled his eyes.

“God, Taehyung. What's your problem?” You spat. It wasn't lost on you how pissy he's been the entire evening-- making everything uncomfortable for everyone.

“I'm the one with the problem? You're the one falling all over my friend as if I'm not sitting right here!” Your cheeks darkened in embarrassment, shocked that he'd lay that out so bluntly in front of everyone.

Didn't he say he wanted you to get along with his friends? You were! You were doing exactly what he asked you to do and now he was being an asshole? You wanted to scream. Hardly ever, did you two argue and now in front of everyone was when he wanted to do it?

“I'm not even doing anything? You've been scowling since we sat down, arms crossed like someone fucked you over. If you were going to be like this, then why did you even invite me?” He took one look at you, rolled his eyes and tossed his napkin onto his plate.

“I'm not hungry anymore,” He spat, digging through his wallet and tossing some cash onto the table. Enough to cover both his and your meals. He was storming out of the restaurant.

Now you were pissed. He was acting childish and deserved a good whack on the side of his head, because who even acted like that? Apologizing to his friends, you stood from your seat and exited behind him-- surprised to see he didn't drive off with how ridiculous he was being.

He didn't speak the entire ride back to his place. That stupid scowl on his face as his fists gripped the steering wheel. You had no idea what went wrong, you were just being friendly! And now he was accusing you of falling all over his friends? Did he expect you to give them the cold shoulder, ignore them and not interact?

Taehyung shoved the car into park, climbing out the front seat and slamming the door behind him. You watched as he trudged the whole way to the house, swinging the front door open.

Yanking you seat belt off, you were right behind him. You were entering just as he was stomping up the steps toward his room. You followed him, pushing the door open before he had the chance to close it in your face.

“We're not going to talk about this?” You asked. He needed to explain himself, you needed an explanation. There was no way you were going to allow him to act all pissed off while you were clueless.

“Sure, we can talk about it. We can talk how you spent the entire night eye fucking one of my closest friends... while I was sitting right there!” Eye fucking? Was he insane?

“Eye fucking?” You repeated, nose scrunched slightly in confusion. “Who was I 'eye fucking'?”

“Don't play stupid, Y/N.” God, wow. Hew was really upset. You never pinned your boyfriend to be the jealous type. He seemed all too level headed for that. You had never given him a reason not to trust you so him acting like this was a bit... odd?

“Did you forget whose girlfriend you were?” He was speaking when a few moments passed where you hadn't said anything. You couldn't help the way your eyes seemed to roll at his sentence. “I'm your girlfriend, Tae. Come on, I was just being nice.”

Taehyung was standing in front of you, a hand running over the sides of your neck before grasping your chin. He forced your gaze to his eyes, the darkness from earlier had returned. There was a wild glint in them. “Whose? Say it again,” He was smirking. He looked so domineering looking at you like that, it was kind of hot.

“Yours, Tae. All yours.” You kissed his groaning lips, arms wrapping around his body as you pressed your chest against his. His big hands were dropping below your waist, grasping the hem of your skirt.

Taehyung yanked the fabric upward as he was pushing his tongue into your mouth. The thong you were wearing doing very little to keep your ass from being exposed to the cool air of his bedroom. His hands dropped down, one covering either cheek. He squeezed and you moaned.

“Mine,” His words were murmured against your lips, slowly he was pulling back his lips finding your neck. Your fists clutched the fabric of his shirt as his lips painted your neck with wet kisses. Your body jerked when his mouth was grazing over the area just below your ear. Mouth working to form a love bite, marking his territory.

Tae was tilting his head back to admire his work. You jumped up, him quickly catching you as you wrapped your legs around his waist. His grasp dropped down to your thighs, taking backward steps until he was sitting back on the bed.

You sat your body up, straddling his lap as your fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt. The moment you had the front open, he was shrugging it off. His fingers caught your chin, dragging your lips onto his.

He kissed you intently, with a purpose. A certain dominance behind each stroke of his tongue, each slide of his lips, had you shivering. His dark eyes bored into yours as he pulled back from your wanting lips, tongue wetting his lower lip before he was sucking it into his mouth.

“Get down,” His 'no funny business' tone had your toes curling. Taehyung lowering you onto the floor between his legs, the bulge in his pants becoming level with your eyes. You sighed, reaching a hand out to feel him. He was smirking, batting your hand away. “No hands,”

Without a word, you were clasping your hands behind your back. You watched as he brought his hands down, undoing the buckle of his belt before shoving his pants down his legs. His hard cock was straining against the fabric of his boxers and you wanted nothing more than to have a taste.

Your mouth was watering. He watched your face as he took his time with revealing his cock to you. He looked so big with his hand wrapped around his length. You watched, waiting as he stroked himself. His face twisting from the pleasure.

“You want a taste?” His tone was teasing, mocking you. You couldn't find it in you to come up with a snarky comment. You were too focused on his cock in front of you, the smooth slide of his hand, a bead of precum rolling down the side. You liked your lips, nodding.

Taehyung had been anticipating your approval, not even a moment passing before he was guiding the tip of his cock to your wanting lips. You opened up your mouth fully, hands staying secured behind your back as you began to suck.

On any normal occasion, you'd manage about half of his dick into your mouth, the bit you couldn't cover would be taken care of by your hands. Tonight was different. You were feeling greedy and you were sure he'd scold you if you moved your hands.

Bracing yourself, you lowered your head a bit more, taking his cock further into your mouth inch by inch until your nose was centimeters from his pubic bone. He groaned, hands tangling in your hair as he held your head still.

“Fuck, baby... you're doing so well,” His praise urged you to go on. Do more. You were sucking your cheeks into your mouth, creating a hallow as you bobbed your head over his length. His hips twitched and you ignored the sting in your throat, lowering yourself once again.

You continued on like that, taking note of how close he was getting. Taehyung strained to remain seated, curses leaving his lips in heavy breaths as he guided the movements of your hand with his hands.

“Look at you,” His hips began rocking, fucking into your mouth. You fought the urge to grasp his hips, allowing him to do whatever. “So beautiful,” Your eyes were watering and there was drool spilling from the sides of your mouth, but if Taehyung said you looked beautiful... than you must be a picture.

“My perfect girl. You're all mine, huh?” He wasn't even giving you the chance to answer, pushing his hips forward so his cock was sliding down your throat again. You felt your throat constrict around him and grunted, pulling back just as you began to cough.

Taehyung used the grip he had on your hair to lift you to your feet, his body rising along with yours. He was covering your mouth with his, kissing you messily and rough. Your head was spinning by the time he was pulling back. “On the bed,” It took you a moment to realize what he was saying. The firm slap on your ass put a pep in your step-- while pulling a yelp from your lips.

You lowered your body onto the mattress. Turning around at the gesture of his hand. You shifted onto your knees and elbows, face resting against the pillow as you awaiting his next move. Your heart pounding as you felt the dip of the mattress.

“You're so wet, baby. Look at your panties sticking to your pussy,” You heard the laugh in his voice, felt the tips of his fingers brush over your slit through your soaked panties. He rubbed his knuckle over your covered clit and you flinched. “Were you this wet all night? I wonder who made you this way... any thoughts?” He was teasing you, stroking at a devilishly slow pace.

“You, Tae. Only...” A whimper slipped through your lips. He had moved his fingers but only to lower your panties. You yelped, body jerking at the feeling of his fingers smacking against your clit. God. Since when was he like this? You could feel yourself getting wetter as the seconds ticked by.

“Don't lie to me,” And that voice. Fuck, you might just cum on spot if he kept talking to you that way. You were mindlessly wiggling your hips, trying to coax him into touching you more. Giving you more.

“Only you, Taehyung. Just you can make me like this,” You were able to gain enough composure to form a coherent sentence and you were more than proud of yourself. Taehyung seemed pleased as well, two fingers slipping into your entrance as a reward. You sighed in relief, thankful for the bit of stimulation.

You just wished he would go faster. There was no way you'd cum when he was fucking you so slow, fingers just barely brushing over the sweet spot deep inside of you. He knew that he was driving you insane too, that stupid smirk never leaving his face.

His hand was quick to still your hips that greedily tried to get more than what he was willing to give to you. “Don't be greedy. You're not cumming on my fingers,” He began spreading them, stretching you out nicely.

“I'm just getting you ready. Although, I don't think I even have to...” He was sliding his fingers out, your arousal displayed in a thin line connecting his fingers. “I've never seen you this wet,” You watched as he pushed his fingers into his mouth, licking them clean.

“Tae, please.” You were gasping, pushing out toward him. Thank God, it seemed like he was tired of waiting as well. His big hand grasping his cock and moving to crouch down behind you. Inch by inch, he was sinking inside of you.

“See that?” He sounded a bit winded, finally being inside of you definitely effecting him. “I just slide right in... you were made for me, baby.” He was pulling his hips back until it was just his tip left. Quickly thrusting forward and making you gasp, “All mine.” His hands found your hips, gripping them as he settled for a pace.

Taehyung was not holding back. No not tonight. Each snap of his hips had you jolting forward, the firm grip he held on your hips the only thing keeping you from falling forward. Fuck, it felt so good. He was being so rough, so dominant and it was driving you wild. You knew, even before you had started, you knew you wouldn't last long... the build in your lower belly only proving you right.

“Close already, baby?” He could feel the way your pussy clenched around his cock. You nodded your head quickly, whines leaving your lips. Whines that you had tried to make sound like you asking for permission to cum.

It seemed like he understood, his hand snaking around your waist to your clit. He rubbed backwards circles against the tiny nub, the movement of his hips never letting up. “Go ahead, cum for me, baby. Show me how good I make you feel. Only I can make you fall apart like this,” He was right. He was so right.

Everything felt better with him. Not once had you thought that it would be better with anyone else and you needed him to understand that. He was it for you. “Oh! God, Taehyung... I'm s-so... I'm so close, I'm so close.” Your hands grasped his, the pressure building between your legs and traveling to your stomach and up to your chest.

So close. “I-I... Keep going. Fuck, I love you, keep going.” All at once, there was a stutter in his thrusts, a strained 'oh fuck,' leaving his lips as his fingers sped up over your clit. You felt the snap. Your legs shaking and arms dropping your body as you came. He was right there with you, groaning as he filled you. It was warm, a feeling you felt you'd never get tired of.

It took him a moment to pull out, admiring the thick ropes of his seed sliding down your inner thigh. He fell onto his back, breathing heavy as he pulled your body onto his. You felt spent; as if you could fall asleep at any given second.

The two of you laid there in comfortable silence, his hand stroking your hair and your fingers drawing random patterns against his bare chest. “Did you mean to...” You felt the rumble of his voice against your fingers, your head peaking up to look up at him.

You grinned at his expression. Cheeks flushed and not from what you had just done. He was being shy and you knew why. “To say I love you? Yeah, I meant to.” He was grinning just as wide as you, eyes turning into slight slits as his mouth formed it's natural box shape. You kissed the beauty mark on his nose and he was quick to find your lips.

“I do too, you know.” His words were mumbling against your lips. A habit of his, speaking to you while kissing. You had gotten really good at making out what he was saying against your lips. “Love you,” You heard him loud and clear this time. You moved closer, kissing him fully.

The smile on your lips only grew as he kissed you. You couldn't be happier. Taehyung loved you. He was yours and you were his and you loved each other. What else could you ask for?

[reidingandwriting]

Second Chances

Word Count: ~3900 words!!

Ship: Tony Stark x Daughter!Reader, Mother Figure!Pepper Potts x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader (platonic)

Warnings: Language throughout, Tony being an absent father, kidnapping (tried to keep as minimal details as possible), mention of experimenting, needles, gunshots, moderate angst throughout. Happy ending though!

You and your father Tony Stark always had a strained relationship. You blamed it on how similar your personalities were, but how different you were at the same time. You were both incredibly stubborn, you both believed you were always right, and you both believed it was too late to fix your relationship. That’s where the similarities ended. Tony was an expert in the STEM field, you excelled in the arts. He had hoped you would follow in his footsteps, take over Stark Industries when you were older. It’s not that you weren’t smart enough for the sciences and engineering, you were a Stark after all. But it wasn’t you, and you’d be damned if you studied a field you were miserable in just to make your father happy.

Tony thrived in social situations, meanwhile you would rather be in your bedroom (or your favorite place, the roof) with a good book. He’d be the center of attention during parties, being sure to talk to everyone and make new connections that could be beneficial for his company. You preferred talking to the staff working his extravagant parties, helping them out however you could and listening to their stories. Don’t tell the others, but your father’s trusty bartender Joseph was your favorite person to talk to.

After a few years, you accepted the fact that you and your father would never be as close as you had hoped. When you moved from Malibu with just your father and Pepper, to New York to live with your family and the rest of the Avengers, you were ecstatic. Pepper quickly got you enrolled into the best school in New York for the arts, and you thrived in the new school- especially compared to the STEM school you had left in Malibu. Your father was reluctant about your enrollment, but blew it off and worked on his next project in his lab. Life in New York was going great.

Until a new Avenger became recruited. Spider-Man, aka Peter Parker. And you couldn’t stand him. You were sure he was a good person, but when he strolled in and immediately became close with your father, you were jealous. Peter was everything Tony had hoped you would be, in your mind. Peter had looked up to your father since he was young, and he would do whatever your father asked as soon as the request left his mouth. Peter also excelled at and enjoyed all the science-y things your father did, and the two quickly became joined at the hip. During the weekend, Peter and Tony were attached at the hip, working in the lab until Pepper dragged the two of them out and sent each of them to bed. Whenever Peter stayed at his apartment in Queens with his Aunt May, Tony would often visit. If he wasn’t visiting, he’d stay in the lab and talk to Peter as he worked over video chat.

They also went on missions together, with Peter being an Avenger. You didn’t mind not being an Avenger, fighting and the whole superhero gig wasn’t really your scene. You did, however, love designing new suits for the team. These designs went unnoticed until Pepper found them, who showed them to Tony. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was very impressed with the designs you had done and immediately got to work on creating and testing the new suits. While you weren’t an Avenger, you were Tony Stark’s daughter. And that made you a target.

——

“Bye, Pep! I’m going to school!” You called out, your voice carrying throughout the tower. You heard the clicking of your mother figure’s heels and opened your arms, happily hugging her as she walked over.

“Bye, kid. Your father and I have to go away on business for the weekend, are you sure you’ll be fine on your own?” Pepper pulled back from the hug after a minute, attempting to pat down a few wild strands of your h/c hair. You laughed as she huffed, knowing your hair couldn’t be tamed.

“I’ll be fine, honestly. You worry too much.” You shifted the bag on your shoulders and smiled up at the redhead.

“It’s my job.” She smiled and pressed a tender kiss to the top of your head. “Are you sure you’ll be fine walking? Happy doesn’t mind driving you.” Pepper paused. “Speaking of Happy, he’ll come over tonight to come check on you, make sure you didn’t burn the tower down.” You rolled your eyes at her teasing tone.

“Hey! I’m an excellent cook. Of instant mac and cheese. And omelettes.” Pepper laughed loudly as you grinned. “But I’ll be fine. It’s a ten minute walk, I think my legs can manage.” While you weren’t an Avenger, Pepper, Happy, and Natasha made sure you had enough self defense training in case you ever needed it. You had real potential, Natasha knew it. But she wouldn’t push you into a lifestyle you didn’t want, any more than she had to.

“Mm, instant macaroni and omelettes, very high in nutritional value.” Pepper shook her head. “I’ll make sure Happy brings something for dinner.”

“Thank you, for everything.” You hugged Pepper once more before grabbing your phone. “I’ll see you Sunday night.” And after exchanging goodbyes, you were off on your way to school.

While walking to school, you felt like someone was following you. You glanced behind you, not seeing anyone suspicious. You quickened your pace, and you pulled out your phone to call Happy. Right before you clicked the ‘call’ button, you were snatched into an alleyway. You fought off the two men for as long as you could, until you felt a sharp pain in your head and you fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious.

When you regained consciousness, you found yourself in a makeshift cell on the floor. Your wrists and ankles were zip-tied together, wrists behind your back. You groaned and screwed your eyes shut from the bright fluorescent lighting, head throbbing.

“Look who’s awake. Glad you could finally join us, Y/N Stark.” The man stood in front of you smirked and glanced towards the other man in the room. “Imagine how much her father will pay to have her back. We’ll be set for life.”

“Sorry to disappoint.” You struggled to move into a sitting position. “You kidnapped the wrong person if you wanted any of my father’s money. He.. doesn’t care.” Your two captors ignored you as they left the room, leaving you alone in a small and barren room, except for your cell. You leaned your head against the cement wall and closed your eyes, praying for a miracle.

——

Happy: Hey Y/N. I’m about to come over now, I’m getting dinner for you now.

Happy: Is Chinese okay?

Happy: I’ll get your usual, hope you’re in the mood for Chinese.

Happy: Y/N?

Happy: You better have a good excuse for not answering. You’re worrying me, kid.

Happy: *3 missed calls*

Happy: Y/N? I’m coming up to your room now.

Happy: *5 missed calls*

Happy: Y/N?? I’m calling Pepper now.

Happy: She’s not answering either.

Happy: *8 missed calls*

Happy: Y/N. When you see this, call me. Let me know you’re okay, kid.

Tony didn’t answer either. Not that they were ignoring Happy, they were both so busy with the meetings, neither of them had time to breathe hardly. Before they knew it, it was Sunday night and they made it home. They were surprised to be greeted by Happy and a few of the other Avengers, but not you.

“Hap? What’s going on? Rhodey?” Tony asked, panic clear in his voice.

“Where’s Y/N?” Pepper asked at the same time, knowing you never missed a chance to spend time with the team, especially Bucky.

“Y/N’s missing, Tones.”

——

You stared at the wall in front of you, your heart having sunk into your stomach and been dissolved. You didn’t have a window or clock, but you knew it had been days now. No one was coming to rescue you.

One of your captors appeared in front of the cell door, his brow wrinkled softly, and a tray of food and bottle of water in hand. “I didn’t realize they wouldn’t come for you.” He admitted. “I’m.. I’m sorry.” You scoffed.

“Sorry for what? That they didn’t come? Or that you’re not getting any of my father’s money?” You sighed and spoke again after a minute of silence. “I knew he wouldn’t come for me. I thought maybe one of them would come. But they didn’t.” Your voice cracked and you blinked rapidly, holding back tears. “I expected it.” You looked up as you heard your cell door open and watched as the younger man came in, setting your tray down. He wordlessly took off the ties on your wrists, replacing it with a handcuff and had one of your wrists cuffed to a metal pipe.

“Scared I’m gonna run? Why would I?” Your voice trailed off to a whisper.

“Just.. precautionary measures. I know you need to eat.” He slid the tray to you, and you looked at him with an arched brow. “There’s nothing wrong with it. If you don’t want it-“

“No, please.” You cut him off. “I’ll take it.” You took the sandwich off the tray and began to eat. “Thank you.” He hummed in response and opened your water for you, and you relaxed when you heard the seal break. Untampered with. Thank god.

“I understand what you’re going through. Something similar happened with me and my brother. We were in this very building for days.” You listened to him as he talked, scarfing down the rest of your food. “My mom came and got my brother, and left me. Then they felt bad for me, and we made a deal. They’d let me go, if I did something for them.” You gave him a questioning look and he held his hand out. He stared at his hand in concentration, and your eyes widened as a small flame flickered above his palm. “They gave me these powers. That was twenty-five years ago.”

“Let’s not beat around the bush.” You speak up, the Stark in you coming out. “What exactly are you suggesting we do?” And when he finished explaining, your lips curved up into a smirk. “What are we waiting for?”

••••••••••••••••

A week later, Tony had tracked you down. It took him way longer than he’d like to admit to find you, but he finally knew where you were. You were now in what appeared to be an isolated warehouse in northern Massachusetts. It would be a quick flight on the quinjet, an hour at most. As Tony sat on the jet, his leg bounced nervously.

“What’s on your mind, Tony?” Steve took a seat beside Tony.

“What if she’s not happy to see me? What if she’s mad at me?” Tony looked everywhere but at Steve.

“She’s your daughter, Tony. And you’re her father.” Steve tried to ease his nerves and he snorted.

“Some father I’ve been. I can’t even remember the last conversation we had.” Steve frowned as he looked at Tony, noticing all the emotions in his eyes. “I wanted to be better than my father was, and I’ve been just like him.”

“And you recognize that, which is a big step. Now you just have to do better. Talk to her, spend time with her, let her know you love and support her. She’s sixteen now, and whether she acts like it or not, she still needs her dad.”

“I hope you’re right, Rogers.” Tony sighed as Natasha walked over, speaking softly.

“We’re landing in five minutes, Tony. Are you ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

——

You were sitting in your makeshift bedroom, sitting on the uncomfortable bed. You stared up at the ceiling, rubbing your sore arm. You were let out of your cell a week ago, and you had begun undergoing experiments by your captors. You had been their lab rat non-stop for the last week, getting only a few hours of sleep each night, before going back to the lab for experiments.

You knew your arm was covered in needlepoint sized bruises and scars, and you tried not to look at it often. You didn’t want to become their test subject, but you knew you’d die in that cell before your father came to rescue you. You knew that taking this chance to get powers would be your only chance of making it out of here alive. You had a plan- let them run their experiments on you, train your powers enough, and get the hell out of there.

And by this point, you had given up on any of the team coming to find you. Did they even miss you? They were probably happy with Peter, they didn’t need you. You got snapped out of your thoughts with gunshots, loud bangs, and thuds. An alarm sounded through your room, and your eyes scanned the room for a possible hiding spot. Your powers were pretty weak at this point, so you couldn’t depend on them to protect yourself. You rushed into the bathroom and opened the cabinet under the sink, getting in and staying silent. Your senses were dialed to eleven. Your quiet breathing sounding like it was echoing in the cabinet. The faint sounds of the gunshots sounded deafening, and you flinched when you heard a loud bang against your bedroom door. You heard a thud and knew the door had been kicked open. You listened carefully when you heard voices, trying to recognize them.

“All clear. The room looks lived in, so be careful.” You froze when you heard Natasha’s voice. No, it couldn’t be them. Rustling followed her voice, and you knew they were looking through your things. You didn’t have much, but it was enough for them to identify you.

“This is Y/N’s hoodie.” A male’s voice spoke, one you quickly recognized as Bucky, which made your eyes water. You had missed him so much.

“Y/N?” Your blood ran cold at your father’s voice. He was here. You carefully shifted and mentally cursed when you hit your head on the piping of the sink. Shit.

“Was that you?” Bucky asked, and you heard the familiar cock of a gun.

“Wasn’t me.” Natasha held her gun out, eyes traveling the room. “There’s a bathroom. Tony?”

“On it.” The sound of your father’s suit as he walked got closer and you buried your face in your knees, trembling. His footsteps stopped and you felt like your heart would beat out of your chest. You heard his repulsor activate and saw the faint blue light as the cabinet door flew open. “Oh, my god.”

“Tony? Is everything-“ Bucky and Natasha walked in and they stopped when they saw you. “Y/N...” Natasha stepped out of the tiny bathroom, speaking into her coms.

“We found Y/N. Tell Banner to get the med bay ready for evaluation.” Bucky kneeled down to your level, Tony still speechless against the wall.

“Hey, kiddo.. Do you think you can come out of there for me?” Bucky’s voice was soft, softer than you had ever heard before. You shook your head, and Bucky nodded. “Okay, we can sit here until you’re ready.” Nat spoke to Bucky from the bedroom, telling him and your father that the building was now clear. The only people left standing were the team, and you. After what felt like ages to the three men and women in your room, you carefully started to crawl out of the cabinet. Right into Bucky’s arms. You broke down into sobs, clinging to the soldier.

“I-I’m... I’m so- I’m s-s-so” You stuttered and Bucky shushed you as he rocked you.

“Shhh, focus on your breathing. You’re safe now, I’ve got you, doll.” Tony watched as Bucky rocked you, feeling a pang in his heart. He excused himself and brushed past the two of you, and left the room. He wandered the halls and yelled as he blast a hole through a wall.

“What the hell are you doing?” Steve ran into the hall, putting his shield down when he saw it was Tony.

“Language.” Tony mocked and Steve rolled his eyes.

“Ha, ha, very funny. Such an original joke, haven’t heard that one before.” Steve walked to Tony and leaned against the wall. “What happened?”

“I.. I don’t know. We found her, and she’s doing about how you’d expect. And when I saw her, I froze. I have no idea what to say, what to do. I doubt she even wants me to talk to her after all of this.”

“Stark, no offense, but you really are an idiot for someone who’s supposed to be a genius.” Clint walked over, standing on the other side of Tony. “You two have a rough relationship. But after all of this, you can’t continue hiding from her. She needs you just as much as you need her.” Steve cleared his throat as Bucky and Nat walked into the hall. Bucky holding you protectively, and you held onto him as if your life depended on it.

“Alright.” Steve spoke after a bit of silence. “Let’s go home.”

——

The flight was over almost as soon as it started, and Bucky carried you towards the med bay. You quickly got out of his arms and ran to Pepper when you saw her, the two of you holding each other tightly. You shook as you held onto Pepper, and she held you close, trying to hold back the tears streaming down her face. You didn’t let go until Bruce awkwardly asked you to, hating to ruin your moment, but needing to evaluate you with Dr. Cho.

For the most part, you were in pretty good health. After your captors had let you out of your cell, they fed you regularly, you stayed hydrated and had free access to the bathroom and showers. Most of the physical injuries were due to the many experiments you underwent while with them, and Bruce was still in the lab to decipher what was now going through your bloodstream. Mentally, you weren’t as strong. You had trouble sleeping and often had nightmares when you finally fell asleep. You were much more reserved than before, and Pepper and Tony immediately pulled you from your school- until you were ready to return. Your relationships with all of the Avengers had taken a hit, but none worse than your father. You both knew you needed to talk to each other, but you didn’t know how. Pepper says you’re both too stubborn; she was probably right, but neither of you would admit it. It wasn’t until a month after your return that you and your father talked.

“Thought I’d find you here.” Tony spoke, walking over to you. “May I?” You nodded silently, eyes trained ahead of you as he sat beside you. “The view’s really nice from here, huh?”

“Please, cut the bullshit.” Your voice wavered as you looked at you dad, exasperated. “You didn’t come here to talk to me about the view. You haven’t talked to me in well over a month, and now you’re making small talk?” Your eyes softened when you saw his face fall. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too. I’ve been.. avoiding you, for lack of better word. I should’ve tried talking to you before today. Hell, I should’ve tried to talk to you years ago. I never should’ve let it get this bad, kid.” Tony sighed.

“It’s a two-way street, you know? I wasn’t trying too hard either.” You surprised him and yourself when you hesitantly rested your head on his shoulder. You felt him tense before relaxing and his arm wrapped around you. And you didn’t hate it. It felt nice? You looked out at the sunset as you enjoyed the moment with your father.

“I’m your father. I’m the bigger person, I should’ve done more than I did. I told myself I was going to be better than my dad, and I haven’t followed my word.” Tony looked at you, his heart swelling as he took in your features. You looked similar to him, much more similar than he noticed. With the sun hitting your face, you were glowing, healthy looking. You hadn’t looked this at ease in months.

“It’s rude to stare, you know?” You spoke, a playful smile on your lips. Tony rolled his eyes and chuckled softly.

“Way to ruin our moment.” Tony closed his eyes, leaning his head against yours. “Took us sixteen years to have one, now it’s ruined.”

“I think you’ll be fine.” You hummed, eyes closing as well. You sat in silence until your father spoke again.

“Y/N?” You glanced at him, your brown eyes meeting his. “I’m sorry. For everything. And I’m not asking for you to immediately forgive me, and we pretend like we’ve always had a good relationship. But I am asking for your forgiveness, and a chance to make up for all those years of being absent.” You could feel how nervous your father was and you offered him a smile.

“Maybe.. we could go out for breakfast tomorrow? There’s a cafe downtown Bucky took me to after my last recital, it’s not too far from here.” Your father nodded quickly and you smiled. “We should probably go inside before everyone starts looking for us.” Tony nodded as he carefully stood up, offering his hand to help you up. You took his hand, standing up. As you walked inside, neither of you paid any attention to the rest of the team looking at you in surprise. It would be a while before you and your father would be as close as you wanted to be, but you both were happy to have the chance to make things right.

••••••••••••••••

~3 months later~

“Let’s have one more round of applause for our drama class!” You beamed on stage, eyes squinted slightly from the spotlight. You had just finished your final play of the season, and you couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. You bowed with the rest of the cast on stage before heading backstage. You had just finished changing out of your costume when you heard a familiar voice.

“You were amazing out there, kid!” You heard Pepper’s voice first, and you walked over to her, hugging her tight.

“Thank you, Pep.” You smiled as you pulled back, your eyes meeting your father’s. You noticed the large bouquet of flowers in his hand and you quirked an eyebrow, looking at him.

“I thought that’s what parents did for their theatre kids, brought them flowers after a performance.” You smiled, taking the flowers from him.

“They’re beautiful, thank you.” You hugged the bouquet close, happy. You and Tony had made a lot of progress in the last few months. You spent time with him and Pepper often, you started training to strengthen your telepathic powers you got while in captivity, and Tony started coming to your recitals and plays.

“You’re welcome, Y/N. I, uh, I also wanted to tell you- I’m really.” Your dad stammered and you walked to your dad, placing your hand on his cheek as you looked into his eyes. ‘I’m really proud of you, kid. I’m sorry it took me so long to be the father you deserve. I love you, Y/N/N.’ Your eyes watered as you hugged your dad tight, which Tony quickly returned.

“I love you too, Dad.”

Taglist: @daughter-of-stark @agent-barnes40 @spideygirl2003 @ditttiii ❤️ Taglist AND requests are currently open. This was my longest fic yet! I’m not sure if it’s my best by any means, but I really loved the ending especially 🥺 I’m currently trying to write new characters, please let me know if you have any characters you’d like to see :)

[blueeyedgeorgie]

Close My Eyes(4)

I close my eyes and I make believe You’re the one that’s holding me

Pairing: WillNE x Reader

Word Count: 2.3k+

Pronouns: She/Her

A/N: This is where I made the changes to the story. Big changes.

________________

Five months. It had been five months since Will had last spoken to Y/n. Will had finally caved into Everett's demands of him keeping his distance. He did everything he had to keep her away. He blocked her contact, blocked her social media. He told Gee if Y/n had ever shown up at their front door, he wasn't going to speak to her. Will couldn't even tell if Y/n had been trying to reach out to him, he couldn't tell how long it took for Y/n to finally give up on their friendship. It hurt horribly, but it was worth it if it meant Y/n would be safe as she could be. At this point, Will's friends had learned not to mention Y/n around him. Whenever her name had been mentioned, he'd practically shut down. He'd end up closing up, becoming stiff and tense. He'd try and leave the room or setting as quickly as possible to get away from the conversation. Will had soon taught himself to tune the thought of Y/n out. He learned how to forget her. He figured out how to forget all the memories he had with her. For the first month or two, it hurt like hell. He missed seeing her. He missed being able to be in her presence. He missed the way her smile could light up a room. He just wanted to hold her close. He wanted to be able to whisper sweet things to her, reminding her that he'd always keep her safe. Keeping her safe... it was strange to think he was keeping her safe by keeping his distance. The day Y/n had figured out Will blocked her out of his life was a heart-shattering day. She had sobbed for hours, the only person to comfort her was her maid of honor. Everett hadn't shown any signs of sympathy, he almost seemed proud to have Will cut Y/n off. Y/n had left voicemail after voicemail for Will, which he never received. When she snuck out to stop by his flat, she had been ushered away by his flatmate. Gaby had even tried to reach out to Will, only to be given the exact same treatment as Y/n. After a month, Y/n had finally accepted it all. But Will lingered in her mind almost every day. She missed him. She just wanted to be with him. She wanted to hear him say everything would be okay. As the wedding date rolled closer and closer, Y/n had become quite more anxious. At this point, she wasn't sure if she was ready to get married. Everything was moving so fast, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to be Everett's wife for the rest of her life. But it seemed to be too late to cancel things. "How do you feel?" Gaby spoke behind Y/n, tightening the back of Y/n's white gown. Gaby. She had been Y/n's rock throughout all of this. She had been Y/n's shoulder to cry on. Gaby felt sympathetic for Y/n. She had watched everything happen from the beginning. She was clever enough to not call Everett out on his decisions and choices, otherwise she wouldn't have been in Y/n's life anymore. "Gaby. Get out." The room had gotten cold of all sudden. Everett walked in, a look of distaste on his face. "But I was-" "You heard me," he snapped in a stern voice. Without saying another word, Gaby took her exit, leaving the engaged couple alone. At this point Everett had started to circle Y/n, his eyes roaming her body. Y/n felt so vulnerable, she didn't like it one bit. She stared at herself in the mirror that sat in the corner of the room. She felt scared to even look at her soon to be husband. "Why are you wearing your wedding gown, Y/n?" Everett spoke in a low tone, sending a shiver down Y/n's spine. "I just wanted to try it on one more time before our wedding." Y/n couldn't help but speak in a low tone. It sounds so abnormal for Y/n to be speaking in such a tone. Everett stopped his circling, walking up behind Y/n. As soon as he stood right behind her, his hands reached out, grabbing onto her arms harshly. It felt like he wanted to leave bruises on her, as though they'd be some type of cruel trophy showing his ownership of her. He made eye contact with Y/n through the mirror, they stared at each other for a moment before Everett made a tutting noise. "Y/n... you're quite the fool, aren't you? You're going to ruin your dress. And a week before my wedding?" He yanked Y/n, turning around to face him, his grip tightened on her arms as they faced each other now. Leaning down, he raised his voice, almost growling. "How dare you? You don't realize I'm tired, overworked all for my wedding? I've been trying to make it perfect, yet you keep getting in the way. What a disappointment you are. Have anything to say?" Y/n debated with herself, should she really say anything? Or was this another trap to give him a reason to get angry at her? Y/n kept their mouth shut, their eyes emotionless as they fought back tears. "Answer me!" His voice dripped with venom as he began to shake Y/n by the grip he held on her poor arms. He definitely would leave bruises now. Again, Y/n stayed silent. That had only made Everett so much more infuriated. Within seconds, Y/n fell to the floor, her cheek stung. That's when she realized it. Everett punched her. The tears immediately started to fall as soon as his fist collided with her face. Glancing up, all she could see was the scowl on Everett's face. He had shown no sign of regret for putting his hands on her. Muttering a small 'clean yourself up,' Everett disappeared out of the doorway. "Oh my god, Y/n! What happened?!" What felt like seconds had only been minutes when Gaby appeared again to find her best friend crying. By now Y/n had finally gained her strength to stand up from where she crashed to the floor. "I-I need to go," Y/n whimpered, passing by her bridesmaid. There was only one person she needed right now. And she was willing to go and see him even if he didn't want to speak to her.

Will had invited the Eboys over for drinks and future video planning. So far they only had three video ideas planned out, but no idea where they'd be filming the videos. "I just think we shouldn't even try to film a football video-" George had flinched at the sound of the front door being pounded on. "Will, it's me. It's N/n. Please, I need you. I only need you right now," Y/n could be hear on the other side of the door. "Is she... crying?" Alex raised a brow, his eyes looked on the door. Will froze, staring at the door. If he didn't answer it, she'd go home. 'But she's crying you asshole.' "Will, I'm so sorry. He was such a bad man." Y/n had slid down to the floor, leaning against the front door as she sobbed.                                                                                                     "You've got no balls, Will." George gave his friend a look before making his way to the front door. As soon as the door opened, Y/n sat up, quickly rushing into Will's arms. Will automatically wrapped his arms around Y/n, holding her as tight as possible, he didn't want to let her ago again. He could feel his eyes water, was this actually her? This wasn't some cruel dream? When they finally pulled away from the hug, Will kept his arms around her waist, still holding her near. As soon as Will got a good look at her the first thing he had noticed was her gown. 'Runaway bride?' But the most important thing he noticed was the bruise forming on her cheek. He knew exactly who did this to her. "I'm going to kill him and no one will find his pathetic body." As Will made his way to the front door, he had been stopped by James. Somehow, Y/n had gotten Will to calm down after a while. She had promised to set charges against Everett for assault and to put a restraining order against him. After getting that all sorted out, Y/n had explained the whole story to her old friends. She told them about the way he yelled at her. She explained how he made her cut everyone out of her life. She mentioned how he chose everything for their wedding, even the gown she was wearing at the moment. After spending the day with her friends, catching up on everything and being comforted by them, James, George, and Alex decided to head back to their homes for the night. "Not to sound as demanding as your fiance-" "Ex fiance. I'm not gonna go through that marriage." Y/n cut Will off for a moment. "Yeah. Not to sound as demanding as that jackass, but you're gonna stay here tonight. We still have your old room from before you moved in with him and if you need clothes you can borrow Gee's or mine." "Yeah, sounds like a smart idea," Y/n nodded. "By the way, Y/n." Will smiled a bit, "You look good in a wedding gown." "Thanks, Will. But I think you're gonna have to help me upstairs in this gown. You would believe how hard it was to drive here." Y/n replied in a sheepish tone, trying to fight back the small blush on her cheeks. Will grinned, looking from the staircase to the love of his life. "We can make that work." Quickly, he picked her up in bridal style, making Y/n let out a small squeal. As the pair made their way up the stairs, Y/n decided to mention another thing to Will. "Also, I'm gonna need you to loosen this dress and get me that one t-shirt I use to steal all the time. You still have it, right?" "Why wouldn't I have it? I remember the last day you gave it back to me I didn't wash it until it didn't have your scent anymore." "You're a dork," Y/n giggled, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. "How am I the dork? You're the one asking for the t-shirt." "You offered your clothes, stupid," Y/n smiled as Will put her down. They reached the top of the stairs. "Am I stupid or am I a dork?" "You're both." Will was laying in bed scrolling through Instagram. He had unblocked Y/n, only to scroll through the Instagram posts she made in the past three months. At first, he hadn't noticed the figure standing in his doorway. But as soon as his eyes landed on her, he knew it was Y/n. "Will?" "Yes, N/n?" "I thought... nevermind. It's stupid." "What is it?" Will sat up, turning off his phone. "Can I cuddle with you? I just need you." "Of course," Will nodded, patting the spot next to him in bed. "C'mon." Y/n climbed into bed, laying down on Will's chest. Will put his phone down, wrapping his arms around the girl laying down. After all this waiting, maybe he would be able to have his happy ending with her.

Will jumped at the sound of pounding. He glanced down, noticing the sleeping girl in his arms. So it wasn't a dream. His mind had been pulled away from Y/n when he heard the pounding for a second time. Slowly, he got out of bed, trying not to disturb Y/n. As soon as she was out of his grasp, Will made his way downstairs. The pounding got louder, someone was knocking on the door. When Will realized who was at the front door, he opened it. "Give her back, Lenney-" Everett had been interrupted by being pinned to the wall. "How dare you put your hands on such a sweet girl. Y/n didn't deserve any of the pain you put her through. I'm not gonna let that keep happening. Instead of stooping as low as you and resorting to assault, I'll be getting in contact with the police. Also, you might want to leave before someone calls security from how loud you've been." When Will had finished speaking, he had shoved Everett, shutting the door on him before he could have the final word. He waited for a minute, wanting to make sure Conway wouldn't bother to knock on his door for a second time. After being sure he wasn't going to try anything, Will turned to go upstairs, only to find Y/n standing there at the end on the staircase. "You weren't in bed when I woke up." "Sorry," Will sighed, approaching her. "I had to deal with something. Do you want to go out for breakfast?" "Breakfast sounds great." Within a week Y/n had divorced Everett, pressed charges against him for assault, and placed a restraining order on him. Just as she promised Will. Everyone was happy, except for the one person who didn't deserve happiness. When fans saw Will and Y/n were back to hanging out, they were excited. They had missed Y/n so much, people adored seeing they had reunited. Months after Y/n's divorce, Will had finally asked Y/n out. He didn't want to rush her into a new relationship after her last one was a dumpster fire. When Y/n was able to call Will her boyfriend, it seemed like everything was going right for once. Everything was perfect now, and that's how it'd stay.

[sierraraeck]

Return to Normalcy (Pt.2)

BAU x OC Aundreya

Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Summary: Returning to normal has never been so hard. Just as Aundreya is starting to make amends and fit back in with the group, something gets in the way. Story twenty-two.

Category: Angsty-fluff

Warnings: Cussing. CM talk. Mentions of death and suicide as a COD. Break-ins.

Word Count: 3.9k

I stormed into my apartment and slammed the door shut. I ripped off my jacket and tossed it aside along with my bag. Then I just screamed. I screamed as loud as I could for as long as I could and then I just stood there.

There came a knock on my door and I assumed it was my neighbor Billy, some poor old lady that had the misfortune of living next to me. And not to call her a grump, but for real, she could be a pain in my ass. Especially after I’d just fought off three people during the night, and then had to deal with her glaring at me in the morning asking me to please (and I quote) ‘pull myself together or throw my childish temper tantrums somewhere else.’

I whipped open the door and yelled, “Billy, I’m sorry, but I’m really not in the mood right now for your-” I stopped mid sentence, mouth hanging open when I saw who it really was. “Aaron, I’m sorry, I just-”

His eyes went wide and he offered a small smirk, “Who’s Billy?”

“Someone you’re probably glad you aren’t,” I replied. “Come in.”

Once he did, I wanted to just up and shoot myself. Way to lie to your boss about what was going on, and then just invite him inside to the only place that could prove you were lying.

He turned to face me and I sighed, shaking my head. “Can I get you anything? Water maybe?”

He gave me a pointed look, “I’m okay, thank you.”

I tried to make light of the situation, “Well, make yourself at home, if you can find a place to do that.”

My apartment really was a disaster. The couch was the only semi-clean spot considering Spencer and I had slept on it the night before, but other than that, you had to step over and around broken wood and glass to get to where you wanted to go. I’d already learned to ignore it.

“Was that true?” Hotch asked, out of the blue.

“Was what true?”

“What you said back at the office, about the snipers?”

“Yep,” I said, popping the p. “Who did you think shot Penelope?”

“We weren’t sure,” he admitted, “We suspected one of your people, but Deen assured us that was not the case. We were then so busy getting her to the hospital and finding you that we didn’t revisit it. Dave and I talked about it, but neither could really remember everything that led up to that moment.”

“That’s understandable. I’m sure it was a lot. I mean, it was a lot for me to watch,” I confessed.

“So you were also watching us,” he stated more than asked.

“I was,” I confirmed, “I had three different angles showing different people and groups at different times.”

“How come you’ve never told us this?” he asked. His face somehow always seemed neutral, yet inviting.

It was a valid question. They couldn’t exactly do a write up of the case considering they weren’t even supposed to be on it, and on top of that worked with a group of known criminals without going through all that government red-tape bullshit, so I never talked about it. Not like anyone asked. “Wasn’t important at the time. You got me out, I got you out, end of story.”

“Clearly that’s not true,” Aaron stated, glancing around the room. I shrugged. “What is really going on?”

“If I tell you I think I fixed the problem once and for all, would you let it go?” I asked. He tensed his jaw and narrowed his eyes at me, so I relented. “People were breaking in.”

“Were?”

“That’s my hope, anyway. I think I solved the problem,” I said.

He skeptically looked at me. “The problem?”

“Yeah. The problem,” I repeated, trying not to open myself up too much for profiling. I didn’t want him finding out about Archer just so that I could lose any bit of credibility I had left with him.

“Did the problem have a name?” Aaron asked, “Maybe Howard Archer?”

Fuck. “Coincidence. Plus, I was with the girls all night at a concert.”

“And every minute can be accounted for?” he asked.

“Yes,” I confidently answered, “There was a short 20 minute period where I ran home to grab my jacket, but I’m sure you can see me on the security cameras.”

I kept waiting for him to respond, but he just kept looking at me. Scanning my facial features, body language that was changing, and things that weren’t changing. We just stood there in absolute silence, staring at each other. Is he gonna say something? Does he know? I’m sure he knows, but is he gonna turn me in? Should I say something?

Then Hotch saved me from my thoughts by moving to sit on the couch. He tilted his head which was my cue to go and sit next to him.

“You actually seemed to be doing pretty well,” he started. “You were readjusting.”

“‘Were’ being the key word,” I pointed out.

“They’ll come around.”

I scoffed in his face, “If I had a dollar for everytime someone has said that to me, I would be able to buy the BAU.”

“I’m sure, but every time it’s true,” he stated.

“How can it be?” I asked, getting slightly irritated, “If every time something goes wrong they turn on me, then I have to justify it, and then they have to ‘come around’ at what point is that not working anymore? At what point do they stop ‘coming around’ and start walking on eggshells, waiting for me to mess up?”

He expertly dodged my question, “Who says we’re waiting for you to mess us?”

“Your behavior!” I exclaimed. “If you aren’t waiting for me to screw up, then how come whenever anything goes wrong, I’m immediately the target?”

“But shouldn’t you be the target?” he calmly asked.

“Probably!” I was now shouting, “That’s the most irritating part! Is that most of the time, they’re right. I am causing problems and we have to trust each other with our lives which we clearly can’t do so I get their hesitation, but it’s not me all of the time. Like those videos, I had no choice, and while I get it, they don’t have any reason to hear me out, it still hurts knowing they actually believe I’d say those things and mean them.”

“So all of the stuff you said, every word, was a lie?”

“Correct.”

I saw the corners of his lips tilt up just slightly, “Even when you called me an emotionless robot who couldn’t care less about his team?”

“Oh no,” I teased, “that was definitely true. I’ve been looking for your charging port since I met you.”

He offered a small laugh and raised his eyebrows, “You will never find it.” It lightened the mood for a moment, but once it passed, I was back deep into my thoughts. Aaron could tell, though, always so perceptive. “If it makes you feel any better, Reid is apparently doing one hell of a job standing up for you.”

“Huh?” I gave him a confused look. “How do you know that?”

“Dave is with them right now,” Hotch held up his phone quickly, “You know, Reid has been a big proponent of yours throughout all of this, even when you were on the run after the hospital.”

“Has he?” I incredulously questioned, “He seems okay with me now, but back then? I thought he hated me, you know, shoving me up against a wall and all, asking me why I was helping.” Hotch opened his mouth but I stepped in, mocking, “Oh wait, let me guess. ‘He came around.’”

“You know what, he actually did,” Hotch answered me, more seriously than I had been. “Even when he acted like he was mad, and I’m sure he was, he seemed more hurt than anything. I know the two of you had something going on, but I didn’t realize how serious it was until you were gone.” I leaned forward, inviting him to continue. “I don’t know if you know this, I’m not actually sure Reid fully knows this, but he cares about you, a lot. More than either of you care to admit. I know you feel the same.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure Maeve does as well,” I reminded him.

“That’s an excuse.”

“Excuse me?” I wasn’t prepared for how harshly he was calling me out.

“You know it is. I’ve never seen you back down from any challenge, yet, the moment there’s even the possibility of someone else being in Reid’s life, you just, give up?” I stared at him, jaw on the floor. “Why is that?”

I knew why. I’m sure he knew why. I’m not good enough. I’ll corrupt him. I’ll poison him. He already went to prison because of me, I don’t want to be the one to completely hurt and destroy him. But I didn’t want to confess that, so I went for, “I just don’t think he’s as interested in me as you think he is. Plus, Maeve is good for him.”

“So that’s the reason?” Hotch asked, addressing my added reason. “You don’t think you are good for him?”

“And you do?” I fired back, astonished. “Look at me! Look at what I’ve gotten him into! Prison, drugs, watching me murder people in front of him, nearly getting him shot by a sniper, the nightmares he’s having from all of the trauma I’ve put him through, not to mention everything I’m sure I’m continuing to put him through!”

Hotch grabbed me by the shoulders, and until that moment, I hadn’t realized I was shaking. “Aundreya!” I partially snapped out of it, and looked him in the eyes. “You did all of that for him.”

“Sure, but if I was normal-”

“You think Reid’s normal?” Hotch kept his voice raised, “Neither of you have been normal for your entire lives.”

“Exactly! So maybe he needs normal for one, maybe he needs something low stress, low pressure, and low risk like Maeve.”

“No,” he insisted, voice strong, “He needs someone who is willing to fight for him as hard as he's willing to fight for you. I’ve seen the way he fights for you, Aundreya, and while he was working hard to find Maeve, it wasn’t anywhere near the amount of effort he put into finding you. He was broken up when he thought something happened to Maeve, but he didn’t even allow himself the time to think about that when it came to you. He was so laser focused on putting the pieces together, that he wasn’t sleeping. He was barely eating. Maeve had to come to us because it got to the point where she was genuinely concerned for his health, and I made him take a forced vacation and ordered him not to think about you. In that moment, you know who he reminded me of? You.”

My mouth was dry, and my brain was still processing everything he was telling me. All I could manage was a small, “What?”

“When he got incarcerated, you had your own evidence board in your apartment, you spent every free moment thinking about him and trying to figure out who was really behind this. You didn’t sleep, and you didn’t eat. Finally, you just went into the prison to get him out yourself, and then you actually solved his case, putting yourself in the line of fire just so that he wouldn’t be. Sure, you didn’t come to us about what you’d figured out, but you were still trying to protect him, and all of us. You took matters into your own hands, and Reid was damn near close to doing the same thing.”

I struggled to find any words that could possibly respond to learning something like that. “I-I didn’t know.”

“Of course you didn’t. You were busy doing whatever it was you were doing, but you never asked. You never even looked into it. Because you run from your problems,” he stated, his voice back to one of calm neutrality. “Stop torturing yourself. Stop running.”

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

After Hotch left, I had a lot going through my mind. I just sat on my couch, staring out at nothing, thinking about everything he had told me.

Spencer was working that hard to find me? After everything I’ve put him through, he still cares about me? He’s been standing up for me? Okay, and what the fuck did he mean that Spencer was about to take things into his own hands? How could he have-

My thoughts were cut short by the vibrating of my phone on the small coffee table. I reached for it and saw Spencer’s name at the top. Speak of the devil. “Hello?”

“Hey, Aundreya, how are you doing?” his voice sounded a little horse and definitely groggy.

“About average. Just waiting to see if anyone decides that the night is ripe for apartment raiding. How about you?”

“You shouldn’t joke about that. You could get seriously hurt,” Spencer sounded concerned, and a bit frustrated.

“If I don’t joke about it, I’ll never survive it,” I replied. “But don’t worry about me, I know how to fend them off in my non existent sleep by now, and you never answered my question. How are you?”

“I am worried about you.” I could practically hear his small pout through the phone, “That’s why I was going to invite you over.”

“Spencer, you don’t have to do that,” I assured.

“I kind of feel like I do. I don’t want you constantly having to fight those people alone,” his voice was like velvet, spreading from the phone all the way through my body.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be alone.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I mean, once they break in, I won’t be alone anymore,” I smirked.

“You’re terrible,” he feigned annoyance, but I could tell he was cracking a smile.

“But you already knew that,” I shot back.

“I did,” he sighed, “I’m serious, though. Please, come over. If not, I will drive to your apartment and wait with you.”

“No, definitely not,” I quickly responded.

“Great, so I’ll see you in about 15 minutes?” Genius bastard. Way to play off my fear of you being around when shit goes down.

I rolled my eyes, “Sure.”

When I got to his place, I didn’t even have to knock before the door swung open. He was standing in a pair of blue and black checkered pajama pants, but with his white dress shirt still on. It was unbuttoned slightly at the top, sleeves rolled up, and his tie was nowhere to be found. His hair was a bit of a mess and his feet were completely bare. I swallowed.

“Hi, come it,” he ushered me through the door.

“Hi,” I said, with a small smile on my face.

“What?” he asked, following my eyes as I scanned him up and down.

I shook my head, a cheeky smile on my face, “Just wondering what I’m interrupting.”

He gave me a sarcastic look. “Yeah, I was in the middle of changing.”

“Then by all means,” I gestured in the direction of his bedroom. He nodded, scurrying away from me while I scanned the room. It looked just like it had on that tv screen months ago, probably not a single book out of place. The curtains were open but it was dark outside, only the moonlight shining through. I quickly went over to shut them.

When I turned around, Spencer was now fully changed with an old MIT t-shirt on, watching me curiously. He looked confused and like he was about to ask me something, when I saw the lightbulb go off. “Oh, I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think-” he started.

“Don’t be,” I cut him off, “You can’t remember everything.”

“I should,” he sounded irritated with himself, “I can’t imagine walking in here and having that be the exact same angle as the one you saw when-”

“Spencer,” I sternly got his attention, “It’s okay. The problem is solved. It’s not that big a deal.”

He sighed and looked down. “It is, though.”

I walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, and it felt like the most natural thing I’d done all day. He raised his eyes to meet mine, and it was like I could see all the images flashing over his pretty eyes. “Don’t think about it. Please, when you look at me, don’t think about the things you saw, the things your mind can’t forget.”

“I’m trying,” he whispered, “I really am.”

“That’s all I ask,” I replied, forcing a smile.

“You know, if you ever want to talk about it-”

“I don’t,” I rejected, way too quickly. I could see the small amount of pain in his eyes, “But if I do, I’ll know I can come to you.”

That eased the tension a little, and he turned to walk to the kitchen. “Can I get you anything?”

“I’m okay, thank you,” I said. He returned with two bottles of water anyways and sat down in one of the small kitchen chairs, pushing one toward the opposite end. I sat across from him and took the bottle.

“You know that I was hooked on dilaudid for a while, but I never told you how I got started,” he murmured, fidgeting with the bottle cap.

“Spencer-”

“No, it’s okay. Within my first couple years at the BAU, there was a man named Tobias Hankle. He had multiple personalities, three to be exact, which is very rare. I got split up from JJ when we were searching for him, and he kidnapped me. He tied me to a chair and tortured me for what felt like months. Whenever Tobias’s personality was in control, he would give me dilaudid to help me deal with the pain. After the team came to rescue me, I stayed behind to grab the extra bottles.” At this point, he was tearing up, and his voice was quivering. I couldn’t imagine him having to go through that as a brand new agent barely into his 20s, and there was a pit in my stomach imagining him in almost the same situation I had just been in. “I became my own worst enemy. The drugs were making me angry to the point where I couldn’t even do my job properly, but I felt like I could no longer function without them. Once I ODed for the first time, I decided that it was time for me to get help. I’ve been sober for over six years now.”

“I wish you didn’t have to go through that. I’m impressed with your willpower,” I said, moving my hand to cover his.

“Impressed?”

“Yeah. When most people get hooked on drugs, to the point of ODing, they can’t stop. I’m amazing with your strength to stop and to stay clean all this time. I mean, you have a very stressful job,” I pointed out.

“That’s true, and thank you. I just wanted you to know that you’re not alone, and you can always come to me because I’m the last person who could ever judge you. I’m sure you’re tougher than I was and won’t make the same mistakes, but if you do, please talk to me. I’ll always help you,” he said, looking at me with big, watery eyes.

Without answering him, I stood up and gently pulled on the hand I was already holding toward me. He stood up and I wrapped my arms around him. We comfortably melted into the other’s embrace, entering our own safe bubble filled with warmth and compassion. When I pulled away, I assured, “I’ll always be here to help you, too.”

I tried so hard to keep my emotions at bay, but the way he looked at me pushed me over the edge. Right as the first tear slipped down my cheek, he brought his hand to my face and used his thumb to brush it away. With our arms still around each other, emotions flowing between us, he kissed me. Gently pressing his lips to mine, noses softly rubbing against each other’s, in our own infinite moment. He was so warm and so cozy that I didn’t want him to pull away when he did. I would have rather suffocated.

He scanned my eyes, and started, “I, um, I-I’m so-”

I brought my finger to his lips to stop him. “Shh. We don’t have to talk about it right now.”

He was silent for a moment before he nodded, “Okay. Do you want to maybe stay and watch something on the tv with me or…”

“I would, but I think I should get back home,” I said. Hotch’s voice came ringing back into my head. You run from your problems. Stop torturing yourself. Stop running.

But tonight was not that night. “O-oh. Are you sure it’s safe? I wouldn’t want you going home where you still have people breaking in.”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” I gave him a tight lipped smile. “Besides, I think I solved that problem.” I reluctantly moved myself out of Spencer’s arms and headed toward the door.

“Hey, Aundreya?” he asked, stopping me before I could leave.

“Yeah?”

“You don’t have to answer, but I wanted to ask. Why was I the only one without a video?”

I knew that question would come up at one point or another, either from him or another teammate. “Because you’re my weakness.”

His face scrunched up in confusion. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Which it didn’t, thinking from his perspective. If he was my weakness, wouldn’t DeLeon start there? I explained, “He was saving the best for last. He knew I wouldn’t be able to say those things when it came to you, and if I did, he was going to leave the live feed on to make sure that I ruined our relationship. If I couldn’t say those things, he was going to shoot you and make me watch. I luckily thought of a way out of that situation before it happened.”

“So all that about ‘I’m not capable of loving’..?”

“Probably true,” I confessed with a sad, bitter laugh. “But I don’t want it to be. I’m hoping it’s not.”

“It’s not,” Spencer said, with all the confidence in the world. “You’ve been to hell and back for most everyone you’ve ever worked with and cared about. That says something, and I believe that shows you are capable of love.”

“When I’m around you, I start to believe that’s true.”

# # # # # # # # # # # # #

I returned home, feeling more relaxed than I’d ever had, even confident in my ability to get a good night's sleep without intruders. But when I opened my apartment door, on the scratched up wall opposite me, there were big red letters spelling out three words:

This isn’t over.

I grabbed my phone and quickly dialed Mateo. Before he could even greet me, I rushed, “I was wrong, it wasn’t Archer. It’s been DeLeon this whole time.”

“And you killed Archer!” he screeched, “Do you know what you’ve done?”

“I was solving a problem,” I bit back, frustrated.

“The wrong one apparently. DeLeon is going to come for you now that you’ve broken your deal.” The panic in his voice sounded like it almost matched mine.

“I know. But this time, I’ll be ready.”

Series Taglist

@justanothetfangirl @kris-stuff @blameitonthenight21 @wooya1224 @unded-bride @swiftingday @dezzxmx

[thefallennightmare]

Soldat[6/10]

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Reader. Slight Steve Rogers x Reader.

Warnings: swearing, lots of angst, some fluffy parts if you look close, and smut (eventually)

Summary: Captain America and Reader have worked together at SHIELD for over a year. What happens when they have a run in with The Winter Soldier and when the reader is captured by Hydra and The Winter Soldier, again. Can she make Soldat remember her or is her life with Steve just a slow fading memory now?

A/N: Here is chapter six, FINALLY. I’ve made this one a doozy to make up for the long wait The next chapter will mostly be a flash back, where we all will find out the past between Reader and Soldat!. TAGS ARE OPEN

Throbbing pain of regret bounced around in my mind, body suddenly twitching back to life. The haziness began to clear, a dark room only lit by a dim light came into view. Metal bars surrounded me and I realized that I was locked in a cell. On one end of the cell there was a small cot with a blanket and on the opposite side was a sink, mirror, and a toilet that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. 

 An unattractive groan slipped through my lips as I pushed myself off the cold floor and slowly made my way to the mirror, cringing at my reflection. My hair was matted into knots and a slight purple mark was starting to form under my right eye. I quickly braided my hair then took in the disheveled state of my clothes. My shirt was covered in blood and sweat while my pants were covered in dirt and holes. 

Holes. 

My fingers grazed over what used to be the bullet hole that I had just a few hours ago. The skin was soft, no wound in sight. 

“What the-?” I cursed. 

“Ah, you’re awake.” 

Eyes snapped to the man on the other side of the cell and my skin crawled in disgust. 

Alexander Pierce. 

“Where am I?” I questioned, the faint pain of a headache rattling my brain. 

“Now, why would I tell you that? So you can send a message to your team to come find you?” Pierce asked. 

I gave him a slight shrug and smirked at him. “I thought you’d be stupid enough.” 

“He’ll never find you.” Pierce slid a chair in front of the cell and took a seat. “I’m not sure he would want too after he finds out about your gift.” 

“Gift? What are you talking about?” My eyes sliced into him. 

“You don’t remember? The amount of pain you went through when you saw the soldier in the chair?” 

My heart fluttered in my chest at the mention of him but I refused to let Pierce see my weakness for him. I crossed my arms over my chest, putting all of my weight on my left leg, and raised my eyebrows at him. 

“What are you talking about?” I repeated. 

Pierce remained silent, only pulling out his phone and hitting a button before turning it towards me. On the small screen, Soldat was strapped to the chair, electricity whirring to life, his body tensing with the fear of what was mere seconds away from happening. 

“I knew him.” 

Sadness etched in my bones at how broken his voice sounded and I bit my lip to stop the tears. 

“They both acted like they knew me,” Soldat’s lips quivered. 

“You’ve met them before on assignment,” Pierce appeared on the screen. “We’ve already told you this.” 

Soldat firmly shook his head. “She wasn’t on any mission. I knew her. Intimately.” 

The secret memories that were made just for us fluttered around in my head, my heart rate doubling tenfold, realizing that he was starting to remember them. I could still remember the way his skin felt on mine. 

Pierce grabbed Soldat’s chin, forcing him to look at him. “She left you. She was afraid of what you became; what Hydra made you.”’

“You lied to him!” I screamed, reaching for the phone. “He’s the one that helped me escape. It was him!” 

Pierce sighed before pausing the video. “You two are meant to be connected; as one. His love for you made you the perfect candidate.” 

“Candidate? For what?” I choked out. 

“You two are going to use your gifts for the greater good. It will kill millions but save thousands,” Pierce stood this time, closing the distance between him and the bars of the cell, letting the video play again. 

Tears brimmed in the soldier’s eyes but he blinked them away before anyone saw his weakness. 

“Prep him.” Pierce commanded. “Double it.” 

“We’ve never gone past 50.” A voice cried in the background. 

“He’s remembering too much. DO IT!” 

Screams of pain echoed off of the brick walls but it wasn’t just the soldiers, it was mine as well. It erupted from low in my throat, the pain of a thousand needles stabbing my brain over and over again, the knives twisting and turning. We both cried out, wanting the pain to stop, and I gripped the metal bars in front of me. 

“Make it stop!” I cried. “Turn it off!” 

“No! You need to tap into your full potential. Your powers will be used for the greater good!” Pierce demanded, letting the cries echo down the halls. 

Anger ran through my veins, a slow warmth spreading down to my fingertips and they shook with itch, wanting to wrap around Pierce's throat. Suddenly, the pain had vanished in my head and my eyes went dark with hate, the warmth in my fingertips burning with fire. 

Literal fire. 

A scream clawed its way from my throat as I reached for Pierce’s phone, flames immediately engulfing it. I watched in horror as a fireball emanated from my palms, dancing with the slow breeze of air around us. I pulled my hand back through the bars to my chest, the fire disappearing with a puff of smoke. 

“Wha-what did you do to me?!” I shuddered. 

Pierce’s eyes were wide with excitement. “I gave you a gift, Y/N! You and the soldier will be unstoppable!” 

“Why?!” I slowly backed away from him, trying to give us distance. 

“It was inevitable; no matter how many times we wiped his memory or put him on ice, he always remembered you. When he would get weak, he would mutter your name in the dark. We needed to find you, to make him stronger!” Pierce admitted. 

I shook my head, the pieces of the puzzle clicking together. “This is why I was hired at SHIELD? For some vendetta?!” 

The flames returned, my hands grabbing a fist full of Pierce’s suit, the fire burning him through to the skin. 

“Bitch!” He cried out, releasing my hands from his arm. 

Fear spread through me as Pierce opened the door to the cell and he grabbed my arm, throwing me onto the cot. I scrambled to get farther away from him but he continued to slither close, like a snake following his prey. 

“I give you everything you need; powers, your true love. And this is how you repay me?!”

Movement on the other side of the bars caught our attention and I felt the nerves wrack my body when I saw Soldat standing in the doorway to the small room, no emotion in his eyes. 

“Take care of her; make sure to be quiet.” Pierce commanded before leaving us, the bare skin of his arm red with a burn from my touch. 

We both sat in silence, staring at one another, and his eyes started traveling lower to the tips of my fingers where the fire still burned. His eyebrows pulled together in confusion. 

“They did that to you?” 

I blinked at the deep, richness, to his voice but slowly nodded. “Did you-did you hear all of that?”

His silence was the answer I needed. 

I brought my hands to my face as I continued to shake with fear. 

“I can’t make it stop. I don’t-I can’t make it go away,” I sobbed. 

Soldat’s body stiffened before he entered the cell, bending at the knees in front of me. His metal hand covered both of mine, the fire evaporating. Forcing my gaze from our hands, I watched a low light in his eyes flicker, something as if remembrance appeared in them. 

“Do you remember?” I breathed. 

His lips twitched, trying to hold back a small smile. “I remember the feeling but I can’t remember anything else.”

With a free hand, I slowly raised it to move a strand of hair from his eyes, his body tensing under my touch, but the fear of the fire returning and hurting him caused me to pull my hand back to my chest. 

“I have to get out of here.” I said, mostly to myself. 

His face fell for a split second before nodding. “There’s a door at the end of the hall that leads to the outside. Go straight for two miles and there’s a motel that you can call your friends for help. You’ll have to run fast otherwise they will catch you.” 

My mouth fell agape. “You’re letting me leave?” 

Soldat stood to his feet and shrugged, a blank look still on his face. “You don’t belong here; I do.” 

“Buck-.” I bit my lip, stopping the name to leave them, as I stood in front of him. “You don’t belong here, either. What you have gone through, no one should have to do that alone. Come with me.” 

“You should go now. They will send me after you.” He ignored my request. 

Licking my lips, I gave him a small nod and went to move past him, ready for my escape, but the feeling of metal wrapping around my wrist stopped me.

My gaze bounced from my wrist in his hand to his broken eyes. 

“Did-did we love each other?” 

I smiled fondly at him and nodded. “More than anything.” 

Giving him one last look, I fought the urge to stay here with him, knowing that it wouldn’t be best for either of us if I did. I felt his fingers release me and I ran down the long hallway towards the other man that had my heart, the one I had been longing to see ever since I had been caught. 

“Y/N?” 

Standing on the gravel road, my hands shook as I watched Steve make his way towards me, relief clear on his face. It had been a few hours since I escaped Hydra and Soldat, making it safely to the motel. I used the phone there to call Natasha, her answering immediately almost knowing that it would be me calling. I didn’t want to call Steve, too afraid to face him with my new gift so I had Natasha come pick me up. 

On the car ride back to their hideout, she had mentioned that I was gone for eight hours but that still didn’t stop Steve from looking for me. 

You should have seen him, Y/N. He was a man possessed looking for you.

Given different circumstances, my heart would have soared at the news but with everything that happened, the last thing on my mind was Steve’s feelings for me. 

Natasha had also mentioned that Nick was alive and very well, him and Maria Hill faking his death to throw Hydra off his tail. They had a plan to take down Hydra and to stop Project Insight but they didn’t know what I did. 

Now, here I was standing in front of Steve, broken and afraid of what he would think of me; the new me. 

“Steve,” I breathed. 

“Where have you been?” He questioned, his steps slowing when he saw the look of fear on my face. 

“I saw him, Stevie.” I muttered. 

“Who?” He squinted his eyes. 

“Sold-erhm, Bucky. I saw Bucky.” I corrected myself. 

Steve’s shoulders tensed under his navy jacket; the one I loved so much on him.

“Did he remember me?” 

My heart broke at the hopefulness in his voice and shook my head. “They erase his mind, Steve. They make him forget. He-uh, he didn’t remember me.” 

“Sweetheart,” Steve’s own heart broke at my sobs and he tried everything to hide the jealousy. “Come here.”

“No,” I violently shook my head, tears starting to fall from my eyes. “I’ll hurt you.” 

“I’d like to see you try,” He joked but he wished he could have taken it back when he noticed the broken frown on my face. 

“Pierce, he put something in me.” 

Steve’s body and demeanor changed, anger flashing through him. 

“He gave me a gift,” My voice dripped with venom, “He said that Soldat and I are connected; that our love is going to be used for the greater good. For Project Insight.” 

“Y/N, what did he do?” 

I ignored Steve’s question, my rant fueling the new powers I was still trying to get a hold of. “He used our love for his own personal vendetta. My whole career, my life, all used to kill innocent people! They lied to him. They said that I left him because he scared me. I was afraid of what they made him. But that’s not true,” I sputtered, the tears falling. 

Steve slowly stepped towards me as I continued to rant, not paying him any attention. 

“I loved him, Steve. Not Bucky but Soldat. He doesn’t remember me or you and it’s because of Pierce. They use him and freeze him when they’re done with him,” I revealed. 

“We’ll save him, Y/N. I promise. But we need to stop him first,” Steve promised, reaching for my hand. 

The sudden motion caused me to snatch my hands away from him with a yell. “NO! He doesn’t want to be saved!” 

My screams reverberated throughout the woods, birds flocking from the trees, the tone causing Steve to step away from me. 

“I felt his pain, Steve. What they did to him, I felt it. The pain crushing my skull into pieces,” I sobbed, sparks started to emanate from my fingertips.

My eyes landed away from Steve to a lone bush that lay pressed against the empty warehouse they were using as a hideout. Fingertips danced with the fire behind my back and I looked back into Steve’s worried gaze. 

“He didn’t want to come with me because he didn’t remember me, our love. All because of Pierce and Hydra!”

Horror dug deep into Steve’s stomach as he watched me pull my hand from behind my back, fire shooting straight to the bush, setting it a blaze in mere seconds. He blinked, allowing the confusion to rattle his brain, then looked away from the burning bush back to me. 

“My gift,” I shrugged while answering his silent thoughts. 

“Pierce did that to you?” Steve’s voice finally croaked out. 

I nodded while clasping my hands together. “I don’t know how he did it. The only thing I remember was waking up hooked to wires and tubes. It’s some type of serum.”

“Like super soldier serum?” Steve asked, closing the distance between us. 

“I don’t think so,” I shook my head. “I don’t have super strength or hearing but I do have rapid healing.” 

I motioned towards the place on my leg where the bullet wound bled hours ago. “I also have heightened senses for pain.” 

“For everyone?” Steve’s eyes looked from my leg to my eyes. 

“Just for him,” I answered truthfully.

We stood in silence, letting the news of who I was now sink in, and the knowing fear that nothing would be the same again. 

“Steve?” 

He nodded. 

“I’m terrified,” I wept. “I don’t want this.”

“Sweetheart,” Steve comforted, “We’ll figure this out; all of us.” 

I let myself fall into his arms as he wrapped them around me, pulling me into his chest. My hands that became so foreign to me pressed against the muscles in his back and they felt every groove, saving them to my memory. I cried into his chest, tears staining his shirt, as he rubbed comforting circles all over my back. 

His lips brushed against my forehead, his breath fanning my face. “We’ll save him, Y/N. I promise. But there can’t be any secrets between us anymore. You need to tell us about your past with Bucky.”

The fear of my new powers was nothing compared to the fear of letting everyone know about my time being captured by Hydra and Soldat, all those years ago. 

Tags:

@kat002nd @chubby-dumplin @avengemepercy

[ynnassii]

Elevator Encounter -Hoseok |pt1|

Word Count: 2655

Genre: flufffiest fluff/ cuteness overload

Pairing: Hoseok x Reader

Synopsis: What will happen when you get stucked in an elavator together with you bias?

The moment you stepped out of the store, you stretched your arms out to your sides and let out the air from your mouth sharply. Three long exhausting hours in queued line, you felt your calves and legs stiffened and cramped up.

You rest your hands on you knees as you retrieved back the air you thought your lungs was deprived for hours, and as soon as your eyes landed on the bag slung on your forearm, you felt your body tingle with excitement. A grin streched widely on your lips as you stare at it with awe.

After long hours of waiting, you finally got your own BT21 Mang cushion that you couldn't wait to bring home and hug to sleep. The mall nearby just had its soft opening of BT21 store and you were one of the lucky ones to get the item, in fact the luckiest when you got the last one available.

You let out a squeal with both hands covering your mouth, creating a muffled excited scream as you stomped your feet repeatedly on the ground.

"It was totally worth it~" you mumbled in a sing-sang tone while glancing back at the store that was still full of ARMYs inside. Your eyes traveled back to your BT21 bag and your lips quirked into a big smile, not caring if you'd hurt your cheeks from too much smiling.

You were overjoyed, and for you it was the best thing that ever happened to you, second to meeting Hoseok of course, you thought.

You were blissfully skipping while humming to 'EGO', your ponytail swung behind your head as you made your way towards the elevator.

The elevator finally came up to your floor, and the ping sound resounded. You entered into an empty space and as soon as the door opened, you quickly pressed the button going to second floor. You planned to stop by a coffee shop, might as well enjoy a freshly baked buns along with it.

As the door closed, your eyes darted to your cheery expression from its mirror walls upfront, suddenly a bubble of excitement build up inside you. Your shoulders grooved up and down to the non-existent music, your body swayed on both sides with your eyes shut as you wrapped your arm tightly around your Mang cushion.

Lost in your own world, you didn't noticed the elevator door had opened, revealing a stunned guy who was completely dazed with your silly dance moves you unknowingly doing in front of him.

His eyes landed on the bag you were hugging, his perplexed expression turned into a huge smile and soon followed by a soft chuckle, making your body fliched at the sound. Your eyes shot open, meeting his crescent formed eyes.

You gawked at him with unbelieving eyes and mumbled breathlessly, "n-no way"

He went in before the door closed, pressed the button '2' and went to the far left, leaning his shoulder comfortably on its mirror wall while his hands tucked away in the front pocket.

Even with mask covering the half of his face, his almond- shaped eyes that you memorized too well, his fluffly hair, cutely accessorized bag, fashionable oversized clothes. You could easily tell who he was. Everything about him screams HOSEOK, but you decided not to tell him. You were afraid that he might feel uncomfortable. Thus, your resolve was not to invade his personal time.

"You must be in a good mood? " he interrupted your fuzzy mind as you glanced at him in widened eyes, you still find it hard to believe that he was standing right in front of you.

"uhh- I uhh, yeah." you squirmed when your voice cracked, fighting the urge to punch yourself for your lame response. You cursed under your breath after embarrassing yourself for the second time, but he only giggled.

"May I ask why?" he asked in an enthusiastic manner. His bright voice was so pleasant to your ears that it effortlessly made your heart beat like crazy.

"I bought a mang cushion. It's a BT21 character made by BTS" you mustered to say, not letting your voice to falter as you explain the already known fact that you knew he knows too well, and lift your head up to meet his eyes with your biggest smile.

"Oh really?" you heard him chuckled under the mask as he leaned on his back to get himself a better view of you,while folding his arms against his chest.

The moment was surreal. Your hands were ice cold, your knees were wobbly, treathening to collapse anytime but you knew that if you let this moment slip away you will regret it for life, you decided to knock some sense on you and enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity.

"Are you a fan of BTS?"

" Yes and you are my bias, Hoseok" when you firmly decided to seize the moment, it wasn't meant to turn out this way, but the words came out bullet fast that it slipped out your mouth before realizing it. You abruptly covered you mouth but you realized it was too late when his expression stiffened, his brows raised high over his widdened eyes.

" You know me?" his voice sounded astonished, you avoided his gaze and lowered your head as you fiddled with your fingers nervously.

" ah yes I do but I was- I am sorry i wasnt planning to disturb you or something but-"

"No it's fine." he interrupted as he waved his hand in front of you and chuckled softly, "I was just shocked that you managed to recognize me even with a mask on, you didn't offend me in any way, dont worry" he explained in a calm tone, assuring you he was okay with it.

"ohh that's a relief" you pressed a hand on your chest as you felt your body loosened up. You leaned your back on the mirror wall and stood there opposite to each other.

"You're such a thoughtful fan, I appreciate that. What's your name?" he asked and came a curious tilt of his head.

"I'm Y/N" you answered, a sheepish smile stretched on both side of your lips.

He replied a nod with a lingering smile under his mask and abruptly shoved his hand inside his tote bag and took out a piece of paper and pen. He scribbled something on it and reached out his hand towards you afterwards, signaling you to take it.

Your eyes sparkled in delight, your lips formed into a childish grin the moment you held the paper that had become one of your most treasured possessions.

It was his autograph with a little message 'you are my hope' on the lower right and your name written under it.

He lowered his mask to his chin, revealing his effortlessly beautiful face. He has the prettiest cheekbones, perfectly high nose and sculpted sharp jawline. Seeing him this close, you realized his photos and videos you've seen before didnt do him justice.

You stared at him dumfounded with your mouth slightly agaped "That's for my good ARMY~" he said in tiny cute voice as he gave you a quick smile that made his lil dimples appear. He took a step closer and gently pet your hair.

Your body stiffened from his touch, your heart thumping rapidly against your chest.

You hoped the moment won't end but luck must not be on your side when something unexpected happened.

You felt an intense rumbling underneath the floor that was followed by a loud screech. The lights flickered on and off that soon enough came back to normal, however the elevator stilled and completely stopped moving.

“What the hell.” Hoseok muttered, shock audible inside his words as he began pressing the buttons in front of you frantically.

Being stuck in a place with Hoseok was a dream come true but the fact that you were stucked in a enclosed narrow space was a nightmare. Your claustrophobia was to blame.

Your hands started trembling, your heart were palpitating in a higher frequency.

"This cant be happening" you mumbled in gritted teeth as you fought the urge of panic seeping through your body but you felt you were losing the battle.

You rubbed your tightened chest, trying hard to catch your staggering breath. Beads of cold sweat started to form on your forehead as you gripped hard on the handrail when you felt your legs was about to give out.

"What's wrong?" he turned to you when he heard a comotion you created from behind.

"I-I can't breathe" you mumbled under your ragged breathe and kept you eyes shut, hoping all the negative thoughts contributing to your phobia would go away.

You heard him gasped loudly, "Oh my god! What should I do?" he asked in a panicked voice. His hands placed on the sides of his head as his eyes trailed up and down on you and stopped on your face to look in your eyes with terror.

He frantically searched for something inside his bag and brought out his tumbler quickly, "Here have some water, will this help?" he stretched his arm towards you with the tumbler on his hand.

You abruptly accepted his offer with a nod and gulped down the content of its last drop not minding the thoughts of possible indirect kiss, but if it had occured on a different situation you would have definitely freaked out.

"Thanks" was all you mustered to say in a weak voice as you gave the tumbler back to him.

You allowed yourself to slip down the wall and sit down the floor in an idian sit position and rest your hands atop your knees with your head hanged low, your bt21 bag placed on one side.

He followed you and lowered himself beside you, his both legs stretched out. He was close that you felt his arm slightly brushed against yours.

"Are you feeling better?" his voice laced with worry. His brows furrowed while his eyes carefully traced down your face with a hardened expression.

"A little" you muttered weakly, your shoulder heaved up and down but now in lesser intensity.

All of a sudden, you felt the warmth of the contact to your skin that made you flinch and smoothly slipped his slender hand on top of yours and held it firmly, you shot your head up only to be met by a soft smile that touched the corner of his mouth, his small dimples reappeared.

"Breathe with me" he spoke softly and kept his eyes focused on yours as you nodded in response and gave his hand atop of yours a gentle squeeze

"Inhale... Exhale... " you followed his lead and repeated after him while looking at him deep in his eyes and miraculously it made you feel better.

His warm eyes that presented gentleness and trustworthiness, You felt you were safe.

You both did the breathing exercise for a multiple times until your breathing has gotten back to normal.

"I think I am okay now"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, thank you Hoseok"

A comfortable silence enveloped between both of you. You let it linger for a moment until you spoke.

"It never crossed my mind that I'd meet you in an unlikely situation. This is crazy. " you blurted as you laughed and you weren’t sure if you imagined it but it was almost as if his eyes were fondly looking at you.

"I wasnt expecting this too, I had plans to enjoy this free time but being stuck with you wasn't completely bad." he shrugged, a lopsided smile formed on his lips, " You're comfortable to be with" he continued.

You felt your heart was fluttering inside your chest, hundreds of butterflies were roaming in your stomach.

Your eyes traveled back to your enlaced hand only realizing that he was holding your hand the whole time.

"I think you can-uhm let go"

"Oh yea- yea sorry" he moved his hand away swiftly as if he was grounded by your touch and looked away while clearing his throat awkwardly , you peeped your eyes over his reflection on the mirror upfront and you saw a faint tint of pink on his cheeks.

All of a sudden you felt the ground underneath you started moving again.

You were both dazed, body still slumped on the floor when the doors opened. Thankfully nobody was around.

At first neither of you moved, not willing to get away from this little bubble that had formed around the two of you just yet. Then Hoseok first straightened up and pulled up his mask,extending his hands to you so that you could pull yourself up at them. You laid your palms on his, and enjoyed the way his fingers curled around yours as he helped you get up. They lingered for a little longer than necessary before letting go.

He signaled you to go out first and he followed behind you as made you way to the exit.

" So uhm you going home?" He rubbed his nape, awkwardly shifting his weight between his legs. You both faced each other, a lingering smile on both your faces.

"No I'll stop by starbucks I probably need some caffeine, how about you?" Your eyes watched him with anticipation, hoping that he would somehow stay a bit longer.

"Oh me? Ill go check out some new KAWS items before I go back to our dorm" he blurted out, his voice hesitant. Your bright smile instantly fades from your face.

"Oh- okay.... Im really glad to meet you, Hoseok" you were beyond happy, but saying goodbye after a short bittersweet encounter, you felt a slight pang on your chest.

"Same here, uhm I should go... Bye-bye Y/N" hint of sadness was evident on his voice, or it was just your wishful thinking. He waved goodbye and turned his back on you.

You gave one final glance at his departing image, walking away from you. You turned on your heel, with a heavy heart as you took lazy steps away from him.

"Wait Y/N." you heard him call out that made you body automatically turn around before realizing it. He was sprinting towards you and heaved loudly before he spoke.

" Im actually a big fan of coffee, mind if I accompany you?" he scatched his temple awkwardly, his eyes looking elsewhere to avoid your gaze.

Being a fan of Hoseok, you know too well that he wasn't fond of coffee. Just by the look on his face you could already tell he was making an excuse knowing how bad he is at lying, yet you find it adorable of him to make such silly excuses.

A playful smile appeared on your lips as you looked at him dearly.

"I mean unlike you, I cant just Google you and find out more about you... I shoudnt have said that" he blurted out loud, the last words were spoken timidly as his hand covered his lips and defiantly made himself chuckle.

"May I?" you could hear him talk in pout, his eyes exactly looked like his favorite emoji.

You suppressed the urge to giggle at his sweet demeanor, His cuteness that charmed you since day one.

You liked Hoseok as an idol but meeting him personally made you like him even more. The reason behind wasn't just his beauty, it was his personality that you fell in love with in the first place.

You know much he easily gets scared yet he managed to stay strong for you. He chose to be brave for your own good. You still remembered how his soft hands slightly trembled earlier, yet he concealed it with his warmest smile.

There are some moments when a small coincidence you experience grows into a huge thing called fate, and you were ready to face what lies ahead.

"Sure!"

-fin-

(A/N: lemme know your thoughts about this one, your comments will be much appreciated~)

[the-elemental-sides]

The Elemental Sides: Chapter 8

Urban fantasy AU: The Sides are four spirits trapped in an amulet. When Thomas finds it and puts it on, he gains the powers of the four elements…or that’s what should have happened, but mistakes were made. Now the Sides have to coach him in their respective elements while Thomas deals with both his new powers and his ability to see into the magical realm. Not only is magic real, but there’s some pretty intimidating stuff out there, and only Thomas and the Sides have the power to stop it.

A/N: It is here! Chapter 8, my favorite number! It’s been about a year since the creation of this blog + the very first chapter of TES. Thanks so much for sticking with me. May this story be finished by 2020!

Taglist: @shinylyni, @hissesssss, @vexation-virgil, @madd-catter, @rptheturk, @nienna14, @ryuity, @asofterfan, @robanilla, @k9cat, @ab-artist, @absoluteamethyst, @a-box-o-jills, @captain-loki-xavier, @lynisnotamused, @literally-just-for-fanfics, @alix-the-skeleton, @generalfandomfabulousness, @lunareclipse-524

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

*** Thomas and Roman, spirits, faced off in the middle of his living room.

“No hitting,” warned Patton. He paused. “Okay, that’s the only rule. Go wild, kids!”

They moved at the same time. Thomas’ hand burst into flame, but it was literally sucked out of his grasp by Roman and thrown back into his face. Since it was translucent, the fire passed through him harmlessly and splashed against the far wall.

“Point to Roman,” Logan said to the book in his hands. He marked a tally on Roman’s side of the chalkboard, but it ended up sideways because he wasn’t looking at what he was doing.

“Three weeks and I haven’t gotten a single point,” groaned Thomas. “Against any of you!”

“It’s about more than just who can fire the first shot, cowboy,” said Roman. “It’s about willpower! You have to really control your powers, not just summon them.”

“Okay.” Thomas swept his hair out of his face, vaguely wondering how Virgil could stand having bangs in his eyes all the time. “Can I try again?”

“More like you can try, again. Patton, count us off!”

“Three-two-one-fight!”

This time, Thomas was a little more prepared. He waited for Roman to pitch the first fireball before catching it from midair and chucking it back. The fire flew back and forth between them before Roman caught it and extinguished the flame.

“That’s cheating!” Thomas protested.

“I think not! I was just getting bored.”

“Boo, lame.”

“I agree, point to Thomas,” said Logan, marking the board.

Thomas fist-pumped while Roman protested. “I was just playing around. Look! More fire! I can keep going.”

“Actually, you should be done for the day,” Virgil interrupted. “I don’t want Thomas to run out of energy. He promised he’d practice water today, too.”

“Aw, but we’re on a roll!”

“No, he’s right,” Thomas agreed. “I’m kind of falling behind with water.”

“No such problems with earth, because I am the best teacher,” Logan muttered into his book.

Roman turned on him. “Are not!”

“Completely am.”

“I don’t mean to brag, but Thomas is pretty darn good with my air powers, considering he’s an Earthbender,” Patton remarked. (He’d finally caught up with Avatar and had completely bought into how they handled elemental powers in the series.) “So maybe he’s just natur-air-ly talented?”

“You’re impossible.”

In the weeks since he’d fought his first shadow monster, Thomas had had a lot of adjusting to do. While he was capable of destroying the smaller shadows when he came across them on busy streets, in buildings, and even in his own apartment, the Sides continued to coach him. They didn’t want another close call like they’d had with that big one in the grocery store.

It didn’t feel like he was making much of a difference, but the Sides applauded him every time he destroyed one of the little bad-vibe blobs. They were even thrilled every time he showed that he was improving with their powers. He couldn’t see any tangible difference in the world around him, but through their encouragement Thomas did start to feel a little like he was becoming a hero.

Meanwhile, besides the Sides, life continued as usual. Thomas was working just as hard on his videos. He was hard at work on his second episode of Cartoon Therapy–which was, of course, based off Avatar.

The first time he showed up to the space they’d rented, already in his Picani garb, Joan gave him a weird look when they met him at the door. “You’re still wearing that necklace?”

Thomas looked down at the crystal. Being huge and sparkly, it was difficult not to notice and impossible to hide under a shirt. “Oh, yeah, guess I am.”

“I mean, wear whatever, dude. But I don’t get what it has to do with Picani.”

“No, you’re right, I’ll take it off.” Thomas reached for the chain. Of course he had to take the crystal off sometimes, for showering and stuff, but the Sides always hated it when they were forced back in the crystal for a while. When he wasn’t in direct contact with it, they couldn’t keep up their mind palace and all the other cool amenities they’d built inside. They had to go back to the dreamless state that Logan explained they’d existed in for the last fifteen years.

He waited a beat just to make sure he had their permission. Roman, acting emissary, appeared. He simultaneously gave Thomas a thumbs down, shrugged, and stuck his tongue out: we don’t like it, but you do what you need. Thomas tugged the crystal off and felt a little lonely when their presences disappeared from the back of his head. After that, the filming session went fine.

Between managing his YouTube career, finding time for his friends, and practicing his steadily improving magic powers on unsuspecting shadow blobs, Thomas was busier than ever. So it surprised him when Patton started egging him to take a vacation.

“Now? Really?”

“Sure, kiddo! Don’t you deserve a mental health day?”

“I’m fine,” Thomas said with a frown. “I mean, I’m holding up okay…”

“He’s right, actually,” Logan said, popping into view in Thomas’ chair (Thomas and Patton were currently in the kitchen trying to cook up some Indian food, and it was going poorly). “We’ve been discussing this. While I agree it’s important to keep your mental state functioning properly, the purpose of this vacation would also be to allow your to exercise your powers in ways you might be less familiar wi–Patton, watch out!”

“Oops!” Patton had thrown a handful of curry leaves into a pan on the stove, which was filled with oil sizzling at max heat. It immediately burst into flames.

On instinct, Patton dodged in front of Thomas and shot a blast of air at the smoking pan. It did nothing but spatter oil droplets all over the table and Logan, who was unamused. Thomas put out the fire by scooping it up in his hands and extinguishing it.

“...Oops.”

“Patton, honestly. How did you ever feed yourself?”

“I get the feeling it involved a lot of ice cream for dinner!”

“Whew.” Thomas exhaled. Fire was actually a lot less scary when you could just kind of...erase it.

“As I was saying,” Logan said in a clipped voice, “by ‘vacation,’ we’re not telling you to hang around at home in your pajamas for three days. No, what we’re suggesting is that you go learn some history....about the origin of your powers.”

“Wow! I could do that?”

“Well, of course. Where do you think we got the crystal?”

“I have no idea! Where?”

Logan paused. “...We don’t know either. Our time in the crystal left our memories, ah, spotty. Some vital details such as this have been lost. However, Virgil, who tends to remember these things best, has an inkling of where exactly he obtained it.”

“That’s right,” Virgil said, appearing–and sitting on the table, but luckily his butt was a ghost at the moment anyway. He glared at Patton. “And jeez, Pat, were you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Oi’l be more careful next time!”

“Pretending I didn’t hear that. Thomas, here’s what I remember. When we, uh. When we decided to test the whole crystal thing, we knew we needed a good one, obviously. We got our powers and then we started searching around for something, some kind of gem, that matched the parameters Logan laid out.”

“Robust. Undamaged. Prismatic. Sensitive to magic—by that, we mean whether it reacted when placed in certain stress simulations involving the shadows.”

“Uh, yeah. So I found a good one in this one super goth back-alley jewelry store–”

Thomas gasped. “Borgin and Burkes?!”

“No? I don’t know what that is? Look, anyway, I found a good one,  s–uhh, I stole it–”

“WHAT”

“–and brought it back to everyone else.”

“You STOLE it?” Patton cried. “But that’s totally against why we wanted it in the first place! Fighting evil! Remember?”

“I know. But the alternative worried me more.”

“Well, I’m not really happy about that, sport, but it’s too late to do anything about it now. Maybe they won the lottery in the last fifteen years and got their money back…?”

“Virgil, do you recall the name and location of this place?” Logan asked.

“Can’t say I do. Well–I think it was near Florida. I remember driving for a while during the night. There was a lot of fog….I could sort of tune into it with my powers, so I could sense the surrounding area. Something was near me, like a big, dark cold spot. It might’ve been a shadow, but bigger than one I’ve ever seen.” He shuddered. “I had to get away from it, so I turned off the highway, drove for a while, stopped at a gas station, and...there it was.”

“Well, that’s vague,” Thomas mused.

“Do you think that we’d be able to recreate your path if Thomas were to search for it?”

“Uh….maybe? It’s possible?”

“That’s sufficient enough for me,” Logan declared. “All right, Thomas, the parameters of your vacation are this. You are to find the location and source of this crystal and interrogate the owners of the establishment for information.”

“Information like….”

“Well, whether there’s a way to expedite your learning process. Whether we can get out of this crystal. Perhaps we can find a way for all four of us to assume solid form without damaging you.”

“And this involves a lot of driving…” Thomas said to himself. “So, if this is really important to you guys, it sounds like we’re going on a–”

“ROAD TRIP!” Patton hollered, throwing up his arms and upturning the pan on the stove, which had been steadily burning their dinner to a crisp the entire time. Oil, curry, chicken, and the whole mess slopped onto the stove and promptly exploded in a shower of hot oil.

“...road trip.”

“PATTON!”

***

[alj4890]

The Bench~Fluffy Friday

(Prince Ellis Rhys x Lady Emily Beaumont)

From the upcoming TRR series While We're Young with @krsnlove.

Fluffy Friday Masterlist

Tagging those who wanted extra fluff 😉@brightpinkpeppercorn @riseandshinelittleblossom-deact @zaffrenotes  @fullbeaumonty  @speedyoperarascalparty  @bobasheebaby  @tmarie82   @littleblossom-18 @cocomaxley  @ehkw1989  @hopefulmoonobject @leelee10898  @itsstillnotwhatyouthink   @littlecrookedheart @mrswalkerwrites @debramcg1106 @krsnlove @littleblossom357 @ritachacha @lodberg

It had been a very long day filled with long winded people and not enough time with the one he really wanted to be with. Such was the life he was born to. He normally didn't mind, but things were changing or had changed. He wasn't really sure anymore about anything.

The palace was still at this time of night or rather early morning now that he saw it was a little after 2 am. He felt restless. He changed into some jeans and pulled a hoodie over his t-shirt and sneaked out. If he couldn't be with her, he might as well go to their spot. He walked the rain drenched streets and finally came to the right place.

A couple of years ago

"Here it is! This will be the place we come to for the rest of our lives." Emily announced as she plopped down on the bench.

Ellis stood there shaking his head in disbelief. "Why? Why would we come to a bench?"

She rolled her eyes. "Are we not best friends?"

"Yes."

"And do we not share everything with each other?" She asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say everything." He muttered.

She gasped dramatically. "What have you been hiding from me?"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Look Em, I haven't told you everything that I do with Zoey. That seems a little much. Have you told me everything you do with Seb? What about when you were with Chris?"

Emily narrowed her eyes. "I...anyway, this will be our spot where we come to talk about all the things that is going on in our lives. When we are old and gray, we will come here and compare pictures of each other's grandkids. Newsflash: mine will be incredibly awesome. We will sit and complain about the people we married then grin and say how wonderful they really are. But...for now this is our spot to share our dating highs and lows, and of course our dreams." She smiled and patted the seat next to her.

He grinned and sprawled out beside her. "Alright. I'm in crazy lady."

Back to the present

It had been their spot. Sometimes they would meet multiple times a week to talk. Emily said this was better than talking on the phone because she liked seeing the expressions he made. How else was she to know how much he hated Zoey's lasagna if she couldn't see the disgust? How would he know how much Seb drove her crazy when he went on one of his music genre binges if he couldn't count the number of times she rolled her eyes?

Then there was the time she was away for months traveling with the Russian ballet. He had not realized how used to her he had become until he couldn't see her. So she told him to video chat on the bench with her. It was nice but not the same as having her playfully push him when he said something truly eye rolling worthy. He was her hopeless romantic friend, she said, thus he needed a shove every now and then to keep him grounded.

Then something happened. One night they seemed to see each other differently. Or at least he had. And what did he do? Nothing. For weeks, all he did was think. Now, he had come out to stare at a wet bench. He shoved his hands in the pocket of his hoodie and turned to head back to the palace. His mother would flip out if she knew he had pulled an Uncle Leo and left without a guard.

As he took a few steps away from the bench, he collided with someone. He couldn't get his hands out fast enough to steady her and she fell into a puddle.

"Well, this was not where I really intended to sit." Said a voice filled with bubbly laughter.

"Oh Emily, I'm sorry." He reached down and took her hands to help her up. She twisted around to look at her wet rear and laughed some more. "I don't suppose you have a towel of some sort on you? An extra pair of pants?" Her eyes were filled with mischief causing him to chuckle. He pulled his sweatshirt off and handed it to her with a dramatic bow.

"For you, my lady. Take this meager rag to rest your weary...bottom." They both burst out laughing as she curtsied. "You are far too kind, my prince." She went to their bench and sat down, pulling the hoddie over her head. She patted the wet wood next to her. "Sit with me for a while."

He sat down and crossed his arms against the damp cold. When she noticed his chill bumps she scooted closer and pulled his arms around her. Emily leaned her head against his chest and snuggled against him. "It's only right to share body heat."

He nodded, grateful that she had. His t-shirt was useless tonight. Emily propped her chin against his chest and looked up at him. "Ellis, what's wrong?"

He debated on what to tell her. How could he explain it? He thought he had romance all figured out. Zoey had seemed perfect. Then it hit him that she wasn't perfect for him. His heart recognized someone else. Someone he had known since her birth. His father had explained how he had felt a spark when he met his mother. He said it was unlike anything he had felt for anyone else.

Ellis' spark felt like a lightning bolt straight from Zeus himself. Emily poked him in the ribs when he remained silent. He looked down at her and fought the grin that always bloomed when she was near. She made it impossible for anyone to be gloomy for long. He was more susceptible than others. One laughing glance from her and he was smiling like a fool.

"Talk to me, your highness." She whispered.

"I don't know what to say." He whispered back.

Emily chewed on her bottom lip. He had acted different the last few weeks and it worried her. She didn't want to lose the relationship they had. She loved spending time with him. She could be herself without worry. She knew that eventually they would meet and marry the ones they were destined to be with and that their time together would be greatly reduced.

But until that came about, she would selfishly hoard all the memories she could make with him. "Is it about breaking up with Zoey?" She asked, involuntarily tightening her arms around him, hoping he wasn't hurting.

"No."

"Have you met someone else?"

"Not exactly."

Emily studied his face in the dim light of the nearby streetlight. "Have you fallen for someone you already know?"

"Yes."

Emily felt her heart race. They knew the same people. She didn't know how she would react if it ended up being one of their other best friends. She felt jealousy churn in her stomach thinking of it being Jules or Izzy. And she believed they were two of the best ladies on the planet!

She met his eyes, waiting on him to admit who he had fallen for. With one hand, he gently pushed the hood back off her head and ran his fingers through her hair. He seemed in awe of its silkiness as his eyes traced her features pausing at her lips.

As if they were under some spell, they both moved closer and their lips met. His hand cradled her head while the other grabbed the material of the hoodie. Her arms slipped up his chest to wrap around his neck. It was a kiss that took every thought away save one: this moment was perfect.

A few years later

"Now we can talk." Emily said as they stood in front of their bench.

Snow fell in fluffy flakes around them. Ellis shook his head, laughing at being brought here.

"Alright my princess, what is it we need to discuss?" Ellis cuddled her in his arms, placing kisses across her face. She giggled and tried to remain serious. "I have to talk about the man I married."

Ellis sighed. "What did he do this time?"

Emily grinned. "You won't believe how happy he makes me. It is criminal how often I am found smiling and laughing. And wow, is he cute. I wish you could see him. What am I to do?"

Ellis frowned playfully. "That's nothing compared to what I have to deal with. My wife does nothing but make me lose all track of thought. The smell of her perfume nearly made me walk into a wall as I looked for her the other day. The goofy grin on my face has been commented by more than one in the news. I'm not sure if it is a good thing or not that she is so incredibly beautiful. What am I to do?"

Emily stood on her tiptoes as she kissed him. "I think you should love me forever."

Ellis deepened the kiss. "Already done."